


Spiderman/Avengers oneshots pt2

by TheChancellor03



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies)
Genre: Additional Relationships, Anxiety Attacks, Attempted Rape/Non-Con, Blood and Injury, Canon Non-Complience, Choking, Eating Disorder Recovery, Eating Disorders, Gun Violence, Hurt Peter Parker, Implied queer relationships, Internalized Queerphobia, Nightmares, Not beta-read, OOC, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Out of character characters, Panic Attacks, Past Eating Disorders, Past Rape/Non-con, Peter Parker Needs a Hug, Queer Relationships, Queerphobia, Rape/Non-con Elements, Specified Recovery, Tony Stark Acting as Peter Parker's Parental Figure, acthma attacks, autistic character/characters, closeted character/characters, deaf character/characters, flashbacks/backstory scenes, peter parker is bullied, queer character/characters, stelth trans characters, tags in notes, tony stark acting as a father, transgender character/characters, we die like Tony stark
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-19
Updated: 2021-02-19
Packaged: 2021-03-15 06:34:46
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 100
Words: 188,215
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29555001
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheChancellor03/pseuds/TheChancellor03
Summary: A bunch of oneshots, of Peter and the Avengers. At the start of every chapter, there will be a mall description of the chapter and a trigger warning.Some of them are quite long (Most of them are), but some of them are really short. There will be a mix of angst and fluff. Some ships maybe?? Requests are welcome!!(All chapters finished but in editing, tags, grammar/spelling, rewriting early chapters)
Relationships: IronStrange - Relationship, Parkner - Relationship, Parley - Relationship, Parley/Parkner, SpideyTorch, Spideyfrost, Spideypool, Stony, Stucky, WidowWitch - Relationship, pepperony, spideychelle - Relationship, wandavision, winterfalcon
Comments: 24
Kudos: 148





	1. Peter Tingle pt1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An-Like when Peter gets a wave of panic when danger is coming, he gets a wave of comfort when he's safe. A few scenarios where this happened with people

The first time it happened was when May came home from a late shift at the hospital, donning her scrubs and tied up hair. The feeling made him feel all warm and fuzzy inside, it made his eyelids droop and hearing go fuzzy, it made his eyes calm and unmoving. It made him want to crawl into May's arms and stay there forever. The best way he could explain it was just completely and utterly content. May didn't ask questions when her fourteen-year-old nephew crawled into her arms and fell into the deepest sleep she's ever seen him in.

To Peter, it was like when the hair stood up on the back of his neck or arms when there was danger, expect his body just shut down when he was safe and happy. He would just melt into the nearest surface and hum lazily as a response to anything he was asked. He didn't really understand it but it was nice, having a break from constant panic. It became a routine between him and May, she would come home from late shifts to find Peter draped across the couch and they would spend the rest of the night cuddling and talk about how their day went, frequently they would fall asleep together and have to untangle from the other the next morning.

Peter couldn't help the excitement he felt when he knew his aunt was already waiting for him when he got home. Usually, he would do homework while glued to her side. She never asked why Peter did this, it wasn't like he hated touch, he had just never been a cuddly kid.

The next time it happened was when Ned walked up to him at school and asked him about the lego death star. He had never wanted to hug his best friend more then he did in that moment. So he did, he just pulled Ned into a firm hug and didn't let go for some time. Ned just quirked an eyebrow and hugged him back.

This started happening regularly, Peter and Ned would greet each other with hugs and forehead kisses in the mornings. And frequently hugged through the day; when they met up for classes when they saw each other in the halls when they sat together at lunch. Most people assumed they were dating but they weren't, Peter just felt so _safe_ around Ned. When he thought about it it was like his bodies way of purring, telling him that everything is ok and that he can let his guard down.

The next time it happened was when MJ walked home with him after school, his normal alert barrier suddenly crumped as his eyelids drooped and his body sagged. MJ looked at him funny for a moment, she had never seen him this relaxed in, well ever. Sure he was incredibly relaxed around Ned and May, but never around other people. She was also extremely surprised when Peter suddenly turned to her and hugged her firmly, humming into her shoulder.

She froze for a moment, before hugging back, Peter gave nice hugs. She smiled when she realised Peter was basically falling asleep in her arms. She chuckled as she pulled back, he was a dazed smile on his face as they kept walking. He didn't even realise when he took her hand, but she didn't mind. She was enjoying letting her guard down around someone, especially someone like Peter.

"Why'd you hug me?" She asked, Peter shrugged.

"You make me feel safe." He said tiredly, yawning afterwards. MJ smiled at him, turning him toward her when they stopped outside her apartment block, she leaned down slightly and pressed a firm kiss onto his lips. Peter's eyes widened as she pulled away.

"Why'd you kiss me?" He asked sheepishly. MJ grinned and shrugged.

"You make me feel safe." She said.

It became normal for MJ and Peter to greet each other with hugs, quick pecks of the lips and hand-holding, except they were actually dating. She made him feel all fuzzy inside whenever he was with her.

Things like this kept happening when he suddenly felt comfortable around someone. With Natasha, it was during training when she checked him over for injuries and he just hugged her really really tight, she rose an eyebrow but hugged him back. The team was sure she was going to break his neck but when she pulled away and continued sparing with him, he had a dazed happy smile on his face as he fought her. Natasha couldn't help but melt every time this happened, soon he was greeting her with hugs as well, leaning against her on the couches and laying his head in her lap.

The next time it happened was with Steve, he was helping Peter with his history essay when he patted Peter on the shoulder. Peter got that familiar voice in his head that screamed 'safe'. He promptly turned around and fell into Steve's chest, hugging him tightly. Steve rose an eyebrow but pet Peter on the head. When Peter pulled back he acted like it never happened and continued with his essay, a soft smile on his face. Peter now greeted Steve with hugs whenever he saw him as well as Natasha, along with Peter draping himself across his lap, and snuggling up to him while doing school work. The team were honestly quite jealous but didn't ask why, because even Steve and Natasha didn't understand.

When Bruce asked him to help him in the lab he jumped at the chance, Bruce was brilliant after all. Peter, of course, didn't expect the feeling to come crashing down on him while Bruce was explaining a complicated formula. Peter nodded, his eyes growing lidded as he yawned. Bruce stilled when Peter pulled him into a hug but just smiled down at Peter. He had already realised it was a trust thing, and that Peter didn't really have any control over it. So now Bruce was added to the list of people he hugged in greeting. Sometimes Peter would come up behind Bruce and hug him, lifting him into the air unconsciously, Bruce honestly thought it was adorable.

When Loki and Thor arrived back on Earth, staying at the compound for a couple of months Peter was wary of them. His spidey senses made it very hard to trust new people, especially when Thor was all booming laughter and grand gestures. So he usually hung back with Loki whenever Thor was in the room, wincing whenever Thor spoke. The man was just too loud for his own good.

"My brother has that effect on people," Loki said softly, Peter looked up at him, his face twisted in confusion.

"What do you mean?" Peter asked, placing his drink down on the coffee table.

"I noticed he wincing when he first introduced himself, and the rapid blinking, and the heavy breathing. He makes you anxious." Loki said, Peter surveyed his face. He didn't feel violated or scared by Loki's observation, he felt comforted by it, that familiar safe feeling coming crashing down on him again.

Loki was surprised when Peter hugged him from the side but had seen him do the same with Steve, Natasha and Bruce. When he looked closer Peter's serotonin and melatonin levels heightened around those people he hugged excessively. He smiled warmly down at Peter who was slowly dozing off in Loki's grip. Pretty soon every time the god visited Earth he was pulled into a strong hug from Peter.

It was like Peter was ticking off boxes, the next person was Bucky, who had been letting him stick magnets on his arm all day. Peter hummed as he placed on the Spider-Man one on him. Bucky rolled his eyes but threw Peter a fond smile.

"Why do you let me put the magnets on?" Peter asked curiously, moving some of them around. Bucky shrugged, watching Peter's hands.

"It helps me associate it with something other than the winter soldier," Bucky said, Peter nodded, feeling that feeling crashing down on him. The admission and trust of Bucky made Peter do the same. His eyelids dropped and his head dipped and snapped back up.

"You ok kid?" Bucky asked urgently, Peter nodded with a lazy smile.

"Yeah, 'm fine. I get this thing, like my spidey senses, but instead of warning me of danger it feels me when I'm safe. Makes me sleepy, and huggy." Peter said, falling against Bucky's side, Bucky grinned and wrapped an arm around him.

"So that's why you hug some of us so much," Bucky said, Peter hummed.

"You should've seen me with May when it happened the first time." He said softly. When the team was informed of this information they all waited patiently for their turn. Now that they knew it was a trust and safety thing, they knew it was only a matter of time until he was doing it with everyone.

They were all very surprised when it was Scott who became victim to Peter next. Peter was studying in the kitchen, highlighting things occasionally, scribbling away at his notebook. Scott sat next to him, watching him for a while until he spoke.

"How's school?" Scott asked curiously, Cassie had just started Middle school, and he had never interacted with a highschool student. Peter shrugged.

"'S okay, really tiring at the moment because I have finals," Peter said, rubbing something out tiredly.

"I remember finals, gotta say, Pete, I don't miss them," Scott said, Peter nodded, when Scott moved closer to him he felt that warmth spread across his skin. He turned to Scott slightly before wrapping his arms around him, resting his cheek on the mans shoulder. Scott had been warned that this might happen, he was used to Cassie when she got really tired so he knew how to deal with it.

"How about we move you onto the couch," Scott said softly, helping Peter up who protested lightly, but let Scott lead him. The team had knowing smiles when they walked into the lounge room and saw Peter snuggled into Scott's side, who had also fallen asleep.

Peter honestly didn't expect it when it was Sam who made that feeling appear next. They were running around the Washington monument when Steve zoomed past Sam, "On your left!" He shouted, repeating this every time he passed them. Peter rose an eyebrow, he decided to stay back with Sam, but he hadn't even broken out a sweat.

"Why does he do that?" Peter asked, Sam was panting next to him when he answered.

"He's fast I'm not." Sam struggled out. Peter nodded.

"I have an idea." He said, he waited until Steve had passed when and waited until he was opposite them on the monument, he sped up as fast as he could and quickly gained on Steve, turning his head as he passed Steve.

"On your left!" He shouted while running past him. When he reached Sam again he slowed down, laughing his head off, he loved running, and the look on Steve's face made Sam and him stop in their tracks.

"Man, did you see his face?!" Sam said breathlessly, Peter just threw his head back and laughed in response, "You know, you're alright kid." Sam said, that feeling came crashing down on Peter's shoulders again, and he couldn't help it when he pulled Sam into a hug, both of their chests heaving. He crashed into him so hard he brought them to the ground. They fell to the ground with Sam on his back and peter awkwardly on his side.

"So we're hugging now?" Sam asked, smirking knowingly. Peter nodded into his shoulder.

"Felt right." He said, Steve ran past them, a confused look on his face.

The next person was Clint, it was during their weekly super smash bros competition. Clint was leaning heavily on Peter, trying to get him to press the wrong button with his weight, and the feeling suddenly came crashing down so fast that Peter crumpled under Clint. Clint was so scared by Peter's sudden fall he lost the game, Peter giggled as he moved to hug Clint around his middle, his cheek resting on his arm. Clint couldn't be mad at Peter who was already falling asleep on his arm. He just threw a triumphant look at the team who hadn't had Peter do his thing around them.

Pretty soon they were calling it his Peter tingle, it used to be another name for his spidey sense, but it changed into the Peter tingle. Rhodey thought it was hilarious and teased Peter about it to no end, until one day when he was the victim of The Peter Tingle. Rhodey was telling him stories about the Air Force when Peter suddenly hugged him. Rhodey wasn't a fan of hugs, but when he looked down at Peter, who had a soft smile on his face with his whole body relaxed he couldn't help but hug him back. Tony mockingly filmed the interaction, but in reality, he thought it was the cutest things in the world, his best friend and his totally not son cuddling.

Thor found The Peter Tingle fascinating honestly. Peter came to the tower almost every day and hugged a select few people hello, smiling in content, humming as he moved onto the next person. Peter would continue about his day, finishing his homework, sometimes training with Bucky and Nat, sometimes going to the lab with Tony. But usually the whole team were together, chatting aimlessly and doing random things. Sometimes cooking, watching movies, or laying around in pj's.

Peter chose to sit next to Thor, who had made a habit of quietening his voice. They got onto the topic of powers and skill. Peter kind of shrunk into the couch, he hated this topic. Sure there were cool parts of his powers, the strength and the agility, but some parts, like the Peter Tingle, were embarrassing. It was ok usually but sometimes it was frustrating how he had such an intense need for physical affection and contact. Thor noticed his discomfort with the topic and narrowed his eyes.

"Are you ashamed of your Peter Tingle?" Thor said out of the blue, Peter turned sharply towards him and nodded sheepishly.

"There is nothing to be ashamed of. It is a natural function of your body that you have no control of. If someone is not accepting of that then they do not belong in your life." Thor said firmly, Peter smiled at him before falling into his side.

"Thank you," Peter said quietly, closing his eyes and nuzzling into Thor, he was asleep in seconds.

"Thor, are you crying?" Tony said incredulously.

"Yes Stark son, I am crying," Thor said proudly, wrapping an arm around Peter's torso.


	2. Peter Tingle pt2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pt2 to last Chapter

When Bruce Hulked out in the common room they all panicked except Peter who just looked up at Hulk with a lazy smile, offering him a wave. The team watched from the other side of the room as Hulk hesitantly sat cross-legged in front of Peter who waved again.

"Bruce likes baby spider," Hulk said gently, Peter smiled again, leaning forward onto his stomach and elbows. Peter wasn't sure of Hulk's boundaries so he refrained from hugging him.

"Baby spider not scared of Hulk?" He asked hesitantly. Peter shrugged, he was already falling asleep.

"Has Bruce told you about the Peter Tingle?" Peter asked, flopping onto the floor fully, Hulk nodded, Peter waved his hand, realisation dawned on Hulk's face. Hulk reached forward and pulled Peter into a hug, which he gladly accepted.

"Baby spider feel safe with Hulk?" Hulk asked, Peter nodded.

"Yup, no escaping it," Peter said, Hulk nodded.

"I bring Bruce back now." He said, Peter nodded when Bruce returned he looked confused to him Peter hugging him tightly.

"What's going on?" Bruce asked confusedly.

"I think Hulk likes hugs," Peter said softly.

"He likes you. Come on let's get you to the couch, you're falling asleep." Bruce said, Peter nodded, dragging himself to the couch, Bruce sat next to him, smiling when Peter curled into him. For once Bruce wasn't ashamed after he turned back, for some reason Peter not being bothered by the Hulk made him so so grateful.

Honestly, it was a normal occurrence to see Peter curled up with someone on a couch, or slumped against them. So when he suddenly slumped against Pietro no one was really surprised, all except Pietro. He accepted it though, Peter was adorable, he thought of him as a brother, they were close in age so it meant they got along easily. It dawned on him that the reason Peter trusted him all of a sudden was because he listened to him ramble about StarWars, he even added a few points making Peter's eyes widen. Pietro sniffed, rubbing Peter's arm.

"Thank you for listening to me." Peter said softly, already falling asleep. Pietro nodded, sniffing lightly. Pietro snorted when he realised Peter slept more then him, and he slept a lot. Peter was basically always sleeping around the compound, and if he wasn't he was chattering endlessly about something. Pietro as much as he didn't appreciate the giggles from the team, he really was starting to enjoy cuddling Peter.

Wanda followed next, she had casually lifted him off the couch with her magic while he was doing homework so her drink would spill on him. He looked up at her then blinked several times.

"Peter tingle makes it very hard to get things done." Peter said tiredly, Wanda snorted.

"But there's no one in the room but me and you?" She said, putting him back down once she cleaned up the drink.

"That's the point." Peter said, smirking at her. She made an 'o' face, Peter couldn't help but giggle at her face.

"You want a hug?" She asked hesitantly.

"Only if you're comfortable with it." He said gently. Wanda nodded, sitting next to him and wrapping an arm around him. Peter hummed, picking his pencil back up and continuing his work.

"How are you so smart?" She asked, Peter shrugged, he didn't really think about it.

"I dunno, I never really have to think about it. It just happens." Peter said. Wanda hummed, watching as he scribbled away at his paper. To her it was mesmerising, watching as he effortlessly completed the work sheet then sunk into his seat. She decided to put her head in his shoulder, he followed by putting his head on hers.

"I get why you like hugs so much." Wanda said.

Everyone expected Tony to be first, but apparently Pepper came first. Peter was honestly exctatic when Pepper told him she'd help him learn how to dance. MJ and him had been dating for a while now, and she liked dancing, he guessed learning to waltz was the first step. They had gotten a few minutes into song when Peter suddenly froze in his tracks, Pepper looked up at him in worry.

"Woah there Peter, are you ok?" Pepper asked, tapping his cheek repeatedly. Peter blinked before blushing darkly.

"Sorry, Peter tingle." He said with a small smile, fighting the urge to hug her.

"Do you need a hug?" Pepper asked gently, she knew it was hard for him sometimes. With certain people he wanted to fall asleep by, others he wanted to hug, others he couldn't help but lean on. Peter nodded, allowing Pepper to wrap her arms around him, Peter stayed frozen in her arms.

"Peter honey, can you tell me what's wrong?" Pepper asked softly. Peter shrugged.

"It's different this time," Peter whispered.

"The Peter Tingle?" Pepper asked, Peter nodded again.

"It's like with May, but different. It's stronger I guess? I, I dunno. Makes me feel vulnerable." Peter said softly, finally bringing his arms up around Pepper.

"Well I know you have different reactions with different people, is like a friend or an aunt?" She asked, Peter shook his head into her shoulder.

"No, it's um, it's kind of like um, well like, well like a mum." He said quietly, Pepper could have cried.

"Oh Peter, you have no idea how much that means to me." She said quietly.

"So it doesn't make you uncomfortable?" Peter asked.

"Not in the slightest." Pepper said.

Honestly Tony was both confused and jealous that the Peter Tingle hadn't affected him. Peter and him were tinkering in the lab when Tony turned to Peter, still holding his screwdriver, "Why hasn't the Peter Tingle gone off around me?" He asked gently. Peter's breath hitched in his throat, he turned to Tony, but he avoided his gaze.

"Well um, it already has. I just hid it." He said quietly, Tony looked up at him.

"Why?" He asked, somewhat accusingly.

"Because it's different. It's not like Ned or MJ or May, or even Pepper, and it's scary because it's the same feeling that I got with my uncle Ben and I'm terrified of it." Peter said, his hands starting to shake, tears slipping out of his eyes.

"And what's that feeling?" Tony asked, rubbing Peter's back. Peter shook his head, covering his eyes with his hand.

"Like a dad." He whispered. Tony froze for a moment before he pulled Peter into a tight hug.

"Kid, you've been my kid since the moment I saw you. I love you so so much. And I will protect you no matter what." Tony said. Peter nodded.

"If you keep hugging me I'm gonna fall asleep." Peter muttered.

"Would that really be so bad?" Tony replied.

T'challa was honestly extremely amused when Tony told him about the Peter Tingle, "Basically it's like the spider sense, except it tells him when he's safe and it's like his body just relaxes 100%. His serotonin and Melatonin levels sky rocket. So if he like hugs you randomly it means he trusts you." Tony said, waving a hand. Shuri's face lit up.

"But that's fascinating! He got that all from the spider bite?" Shuri asked.

"Got what from the spider bite?" Peter asked, coming up behind Tony and leaning on him, tooth brush sticking out of his mouth.

"The Peter Tingle! It's fascinating!" Shuri shouted.

"You told them about that?" Peter asked furiously, pulling the tooth brush out of his mouth, pointing it at Tony with it.

"I had to, you fall asleep on everyone all the time. Or demand hugs." Tony said. Peter made a groaning noise, turning away from them.

"Aren't you going to say hi?" Tony asked his retreating back.

"No! Not when I can't look them in the eyes." Peter shouted.

When Shuri asked Peter to test T'challa's shit he was sceptical, but he shrugged it ok and got ready in his battle stance, "So I just hit you?" Peter asked, eyebrow raised.

"Yes," Shuri said, Peter noticed the raised phone camera.

"Why are you filming?" He asked, Shuri shrugged.

"Research." She said, Peter huffed, throwing a punch, Shuri's eyes widened, "hit him harder." Peter nodded, hitting him so hard he flew across the room. Shuri's mouth was hanging open.

"Did I do something wrong?" He asked timidly.

"No ones supposed to be able to get past it!" T'challa shouted. Peter shrugged uncomfortably.

"I'm really strong," Peter said.

"We have to test you! This is literally amazing!" Shuri shouted, Peter nodded, there was that feeling again.

"She's right, even Bucky couldn't get past the suit," T'challa said, picking himself up off the floor. Peter nodded, swaying on his feet.

"Are you ok Peter?" Shuri asked, Peter shrugged, crumpling to the floor.

"I'm just gonna go to sleep now." He said, "Stupid nice people making me feel comfortable." He muttered, curling up on the training room mats.

"Tony said this might happen, we need to get him to the couch or something," T'challa said.

"Or give him a hug," Shuri said, Peter waved his hand lazily.

"Stop being nice." He said tiredly.

"Nope," T'challa said, picking Peter up bridal style, Peter hummed, leaning into his chest.

"Asshole." Peter muttered, Shuri laughed, patting his arm.

"Your Peter Tingle says otherwise." She teased, but Peter was already asleep, T'challa grunted as he deposited Peter into the couch. In his sleep, Peter managed to pull both Shuri and T'challa down with him.

"He does that sometimes." Tony said from the doorway.

"He's kind of cute, for a white boy." Shuri said.

So now everyone on earth was roped into the Peter Tingle. So now what was left were off worlders. When the guardians landed on earth Peter was ecstatic, he had a name buddy and they were all interesting in Star Wars. Mantis was a bit odd but nice enough, and she made the Peter Tingle go off, but Peter refused to tell them about it, it was already embarrassing enough. She suddenly turned to him.

"May I read you?" She asked, Peter's face twisted in confusion.

"She's an empath, she can experience the emotions you are," Gamora said gently. Peter blushed, he didn't really want her finding out but shrugged anyway. She took his hand from his lap, a wide lazy smile grew on her face, her eyes becoming lidded and body relaxing.

"You feel incredible happiness, safety and trust. But also love." She said, Peter nodded, blinking at her, she smiled wider.

"You are content, and relaxed. Your family calls it the Peter Tingle." She said, Peter rolled his eyes in amusement.

"Yeah, they do." Peter said, glancing at Tony who was smiling warmly at him.

"It tells you when you're safe, it's a side effect of your powers. Your body reacts in a way you can't control." She said, holding his hand tighter.

"Yep, it gets really annoying." Peter said, Mantis nodded.

"Hormones in your body force you to sleep, or to seek out physical affection." She said, looking up at him.

"Yup." He said tiredly. Mantis nodded.

"You have the Peter Tingle for everyone in this room?" She said, clearly surprised.

"Wait you feel safe with us?" Quill said. Peter turned his head away from Mantis and blinked at him several times. Peter shrugged.

"Yeah." He said, like it was obvious.

"Why?" Rocket said, Peter shrugged.

"I dunno, I don't have that many adults in my life who support me. And I guess it's been really hard since my uncle died, and suddenly I have all these people I look up to you I really really care about and love. You guys have been here for a couple days but you've been nothing but kind and supportive to me." Peter said, shrugging afterward.

"Wow." Rocket said, sinking into his chair.

"I am Groot." Peter turned to him.

"You're pretty cool too." He said tiredly, his eye lids dropping, Mantis was still holding his hand so she was having trouble staying awake now too.

"Wait you can understand him?" Dead asked, Peter looked at him, his eyebrows knitted in confusion.

"You can't?" He asked, his head dipping with every word. Soon Mantis and he were snuggled up together on the couch, asleep together.

"I gotta admit, it's kinda cute." Rocket said.

When Carol came crashing to Earth the Avengers just shrugged and welcomed her with open arms to the compound. So it was only a matter of time before she found out about the Peter Tingle. The team were extremely worried when Peter ignored them as he got out of the elevator and tugged his hood down, hurriedly walking to the training room. They could hear Peter blaring his Punk Rock playlist, which worried them ever more, he usually only listened to that when he was upset. When they explained the importance of the Peter Tingle Carol was worried too, she decided that instead of giving Peter his space she would find out what was wrong. 

"Hey, Peter Parker." She said, leaning on the doorframe, Peter didn't turn to look at her. 

"Hello, Miss Danvers." He said, continuing his reps with the dumbbells. 

"Just Carol Pete. You've really worried everyone." She said, walking closer and sitting next to him on the bench. 

"Cool." He said tightly, it was obvious he wasn't listening, he was staring a hole in the floor.

"Peter listen, whatever's wrong there are people here for you, and they'll listen to you." Carol said gently, she raised a hand to put on his shoulder but he flinched violently away from her, dropping the dumbbells onto the floor, hiding his face in his hands. He looked up and glanced at Carol before staring ahead.

"I um, well no one knows but my aunt, and Um, and Ned and MJ cause they found out when I got diagnosed. I um, I have PTSD. And um, well I um, I watched the news and there were gunshots. And I had a flashback to the day my uncle died." Peter sniffled, looking down at his hands.

"I was back there, that night. When he died. And he took the bullet for me, and then I pulled him into my lap. And I felt so guilty for feeling so safe. I was so tired and I just wanted to hold him, I wanted to just hold him and never let him go. But then I had to let him go. They said that I was in shock, they had to pull me off him and I wouldn't stop screaming and crying. I didn't even realise I was crying or screaming." Peter curled his fingers into fists.

"I try to forget it, and it works. But it all came back, and I just want him back. I want to remember him without seeing the blood and, and the gun. I just want it to go away." Peter said, pressing his knuckles into his eyes.

"Does this have to do with why you hate the Peter Tingle so much?" She said gently, Peter shrugged.

"Yeah. That night was the first time it happened, while he was dying." He said stiffly, sinking into the chair.

"Well, you don't have to remember it by that, think about all the good times you've had because of it," Carol said. Peter nodded.

"Hey, carol?" He asked cautiously.

"Yes, Peter?" She asked.

"Can I have a hug?" He asked with a smile.

The team smiled when Carol came into the common room carrying a sleeping Peter.

"Peter Tingle?" Tony asked, covering Peter with a blanket once she put him in the couch.

"Peter Tingle." She confirmed, she quickly explained what had happed, when Tony heard a curious noise.

"Is, is he purring?" He said, staring wide-eyed at Peter, who's mouth had fallen open, letting out purring noises from his chest.

"Oh my god, he's purring!" Pepper squealed, sitting next to him on the couch, running a hand through his hair. He hummed and moved closer to her in his sleep.

"He's so cute," Natasha said, they were lucky Tony's couches were massive, because the whole team were eventually cuddled around Peter on the couch, listening to him purr.


	3. Spy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An-After the death of May and Ben peter is reconnected with his biological father, Tony. Angst conmences

Tony looked up automatically when he heard Peter's crutches, Peter's face was screwed up in concentration when he got to the doorway. Peter had lost his left leg in an accident that killed his aunt and uncle, which meant they were forced to try and find Peter's birth father, which just so happened to be him. Peter paused in the doorway, Pepper had gotten him something that looked like a sock that went over his stump, Peter hated it but he likes Pepper so he wore it for her.

"Hey, Tony? I was wondering if I could have a friend over?" Peter said hesitantly, Tony was sure that if he could he would be shifting his weight between his two feet.

"Sure, I've been wanting to meet your friends," Tony said casually, Peter frowned again, looking down at the floor.

"Oh, I only have one friend. I've known him since I was five." Peter said, a small smile on his face.

"Why don't you have any other friends?" Tony asked, Peter was nice enough, just a little awkward. The whole middle school moving to high school thing didn't help.

"Well I used to have more friends, but I guess people don't want to be around me anymore." He said quietly, Tony blinked at him.

"Just let me know when your friend is coming over."

—————————

Tony was curious, Peter only had one friend, and he wanted to see what he was like when he wasn't awkward or uncomfortable. In hindsight maybe he shouldn't have had FRIDAY pull up the footage for where Peter and Ned were. They were in Peter's room, splayed out on the floor together.

"I'm just saying, it's summer, we should be at the beach or something!" Peter protested, Tony   
smiled lightly.

"You say that like we went to the beach before the accident," Ned said, a wide smile on his face.

"Yeah but now I wish I did, cause now I'm stuck doing exercises all summer to get remote feeling back in my arm. And don't get me started on the sock thing Pepper makes me wear on it. Oh, and the crutches hurt like hell." Peter complained. Ned propped himself up on his elbow, Peter followed so he was looking Ned in the face.

"At least she cares." Was all he said, Peter rolled his eyes.

"Yeah only cause she's Tony's wife. She doesn't actually care about me, they all just pity me. Oh, look, a thirteen year old with an amputated leg." Peter said, rolling his eyes and flopping back onto the floor. Tony frowned, they did care, but now that he thought about it no one on the team was good at sharing that. Peter stared up at the ceiling, his face scrunched up in thought.

"Hey, Ned?" Peter said hesitantly.

"Hey, Benny?" He said, making Peter snort.

"We'll always be best friends right?" Peter asked anxiously.

"Oh course, why wouldn't we be?" Ned said. Peter sighed, extending his non paralysed arm out to Ned.

"Hypothetically, if I were gay, then what would you say?" Peter said quietly, Tony honestly considered turning the screen off then and there but he was slightly mad Peter wouldn't share this with him.

"Then I would hypothetically say that I'm gay too," Ned said, a smile growing on his face.

"Okay, and if I hypothetically had a crush on you?" Peter asked, propping himself back on his elbow, Ned copied him.

"Then I would hypothetically do this," Ned said, cupping Peter's cheek in his hand, leaning forward to kiss him. Peter's eyes widened before he closed them and kissed him back.

Tony immediately closed the screen, he didn't need to see that.

—————————-

Peter was picking at his food at the dinner table, it had been a few weeks since Ned and he kissed and he was pretty sure no one knew they were dating. If he was honest he wanted to keep it that way. The table was silent, well it was an awkward silence, they still hadn't gotten used to Peter's presence.

"So how's school?" Pepper asked with a tight smile.

"It's good," Peter said, it wasn't actually, he didn't have friends anymore, and everyone picked on him in gym class because he couldn't do anything.

"How are classes?" She asked, Peter shrugged.

"Same as always." Peter said, Tony sighed.

"Come on Benny, cut us some slack." Tony said. Peter's breath caught in his throat, Ben used to call him that.

"Don't call me that." He growled, looking up at Tony with glassy eyes.

"Why not? You let Ned call you that." Tony said, leaning over the table, Peter's eyes widened.

"Because he's my best friend!" Peter shouted, pushing his plate away from him.

"Really? Because I was under the impression he was your boyfriend." Tony said, Peter froze in his seat, his breathing becoming laboured.

"How would you?" Peter said, his eyes darted around the room, "You were watching that day when he came over weren't you? Pulled up the camera footage did you?" Peter said.

"I did." Tony admitted.

"Why would you do that? That was private!" Peter shouted, pushing his chair away from the table, pointing a finger at Tony.

"You don't tell me things! I wanted to know what was going on!" Tony shouted back.

"I don't have to tell you things! I'm a teenager! I keep secrets! Can't I have one thing?! That was my first kiss you asshole!" Peter shouted, picking his crutches up from the table.

"You need to tell me these things!" Tony shouted back, Natasha held up a hand.

"Give him a break Tony, he's going through a lot." Natasha said, it should have made him happy but it made him unbelievably angry.

"No, actually I want to know what you actually think of me? Go ahead! Try to call me something someone already hasn't! A, a, a loser, a freak, a cripple, worthless, waste of space, a faggot, a fairy, I've heard all of them! Find something original Tony, because you're soooo good at that!" Peter shouted, sitting back in his seat, waiting patiently.

"Kid I-" Tony started, Peter cut him off.

"I know you're thinking it!" Peter shouted, red in the face, tears cornering in his eyes.

"I didn't know you were being bullied, kid." Tony said quietly, Peter let out a bitter laugh.

"Are you that dumb? I've always been bullied, having my leg carved off just made it easier. You don't know anything Tony, and I don't have to tell you shit!" Peter said, his chest heaving with the effort of breathing. He really hated asthma.

"I'm your dad! You have to tell me something!" Tony shouted, suddenly angry again, Peter stood up from his seat, swaying in his foot. He pulled the crutches onto his arms, hobbling over to Tony, pressing a finger right into his chest.

"Well, maybe you don't want to be. You're just gonna leave like everyone always does!" Peter shouted in his face.

"What the hell does that mean?!" Tony shouted.

"My parents left! My, my uncle and my aunt left, my friends left, and you're gonna leave to, everyone always does!" Peter shouted, the tears slipping out of his eyes.

"Is that what this is really about? Why you won't tell me things? Why you don't trust me?" Tony asked, he wasn't yelling anymore. Peter pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose.

"Of course it is! Everything's always my fault! You'll realise that eventually!" Peter shouted, he wasn't backing down on this one.

"What does that even mean?!" Tony asked, throwing his arms up into the air.

"My parents died because they had to protect me! If I hadn't have been born they would still be alive! If my uncle been hadn't dived on top of me the ceiling would have crushed me instead and he'd be alive! If my aunt and uncle didn't have to take me in when my parents died they wouldn't have to live in a shitty apartment in queens! If they didn't have me they wouldn't have lived in somewhere without building codes!" Peter shouted, the team frowned, they didn't know the circumstances of why Peter was there.

"If that ceiling hadn't have caved I would have lost my stupid leg! And my stupid friends wouldn't have left me behind because I couldn't keep up anymore!" Peter shouted, pushing his glasses up his face again.

"But none of that's your fault!" Tony shouted, Peter froze for a moment, he had never been told that before.

"Well, then who's fault is it! I'm the only constant variable!" Peter shouted, Tony cringed, of course the kid was analysing this like a science experiment.

"You're a kid. You didn't crash the plane, you weren't the one that chose not to put the building codes in, you're the not the one who decided to leave you behind." Tony said softly, Peter looked down at the floor, he'd obviously been beaten.

"How did you know they died in a plane crash?" Peter said, tears landing on the tiled floor.

"Because I did research before you came. As soon as they said I was getting custody of you I did research." Tony said softly.

"You should have seen him, he spent weeks while you were in hospital researching what teenagers liked in their room." And Pepper piped up.

"And how many times he researched paralyzation to see if he could help you," Bucky said next.

"And how many of the nurses he talked to to find out what things you like," Steve said.

"He's the one who decorated your room for you," Natasha said.

"He bought all of the Star Wars, stargate and Star Trek series so you would like him," Clint said.

"And he read Harry Potter and the chaos walking trilogy, and school for good and evil so he could put them in the coffee table so you would ask about them," Bruce said.

"And he looked at all your school grades so he could ask you if you needed help in certain classes," Wanda said, Peter turned back to Tony.

"Why?" Peter said, eyebrows knitted in confusion.

"Because I don't want to mess this up. When I found out that I had a kid I was determined on getting custody of you, I didn't want you to grow up like I did." Tony was interrupted by Peter crashing into him, "I didn't know we were there yet." Tony said, a smile on his face.

"We're there." Peter said, Tony had a tight grip on him so he wouldn't fall, "I'm sorry for yelling, and for saying all those things." Peter said, "Will you stay?" He said quietly.

"Yep. You aren't getting rid of me that easy." Tony said, swaying Peter.

"I'm still mad at you for spying on me and Ned though," Peter said.

"He's coming to family dinner next week," Tony said firmly.

"Well, then that means you and Pepper need to meet his parents," Peter said with a smirk.

"What? Like your mum and dad?" Tony said obliviously.

"Yeah, like that." Peter said, pulling off of him, "Are you crying? Never thought I'd see the day." Peter said, stepping back.

"Maybe."


	4. Light Up

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An-Peter is Tony's biological son, he's paralysed from the waist down and is in a wheelchair permanently. He accidentally meets the team (Nice Flash, sue me)

"Hey, dad! I'm home! How did the meeting with the team go?" The team heard a voice shout from the foyer. They were all in shock when a teenage boy wheeled himself into the living room in a wheelchair, plonking a plastic bag onto the coffee table.

"That bad huh? Well, I had a good day, the new ramps in the west block opened up and they're great. Flash got me new wheel bearings, I was wondering if you could help me put them on?" The boy continued, finally looking up at the team, his eyes widening. 

"Oh, FRIDAY didn't tell me there was anyone here." He said sheepishly. 

"Your father wanted you to meet them, and he knew you'd avoid them if I told you they were here," FRIDAY said smugly, the boy nodded nervously. He started digging through the bag, he was bringing home a couple of containers from cooking class too. 

"So you're the mysterious son Tony won't introduce us to?" Clint said, leaning forward to look at Peter closer. 

"Well, actually it's me who doesn't want to be introduced." He said simply, finally pulling out the packet of wheel bearings.

"Why's that?" Bucky asked, Peter shrugged. Opening the packet, blushing when he saw the wheels. Of course Flash remembered his favourite colours and the correct size. Red and Blue.

"Everyone always expects Tony Stark's son to be glamorous, attractive and a playboy. People are always disappointed when they find out that the only thing I inherited from him is my brain." Peter said irritably, frowning at the wheels, he would have to be out of the chair to put them on.

"Why do you say that?" Steve asked, watching as the boy frowned down at the wheels.

"There's nothing glamorous about a sixteen-year-old in a wheelchair. I'm definitely not a playboy, I've had a crush on one of my best friends since I was twelve and have never made a move. And the only person who thinks I'm attractive is my mum." He said, the last statement got a light laugh from the team.

"Maybe, but none of us will judge you for something like that. It's part of who you are." Wanda said, offering him a smile which he returned. 

"Well, I'm Peter." He said, Steve shook his hand. 

"I'm guessing you know who we are?" He said with a smile, Peter rolled his eyes and nodded. 

"Do you guys know when my dad is gonna be home?" Peter said nervously. 

"He got called in byFury, he could be ten minutes or half an hour," Clint said. Peter sighed and nodded. 

"You want help putting those on?" Natasha said, pointing to the wheels. 

"I kind of need to be out of the chair to put them on, and usually my mum or dad help me out of it." He said, avoiding her eyes. Bucky jumped up to help him. 

"Not a problem, how do I help?" He asked. Peter positioned himself in front of one of the couches, pointing to a spot on the floor. 

"Stand there and put your arms out like this. I'll grab your forearms and pull myself up, all you need to do it get me to the couch." Peter instructed. Bucky nodded, following the orders and getting Peter into his seat easily. 

"Alright. Now how do we put these on?" Bucky said, picking up the wheels, handing one to Peter.

"I'll do this side, you do the other one. There's a switch, flip it and you can lift the wheels up. The wheels click out and then all you need to do is take the old bearing out and put this one on like so." Peter demonstrated Bucky followed him easily. Copying him when he clicked the wheels back in. Peter took the breaks off and let the chair wheel a few centimetres, smiling wide when they lit up. 

"Cool!" Peter breathed, the team rose an eyebrow, "I've been wanting light up wheels for ages but the only place that sells good ones is all the way in queens and mum and dad don't usually have time to take me all the way there." Peter said, leaning back into the couch.

"Why do you need the chair anyway?" Sam asked, Peter frowned down at his lap, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose again. 

"You know that Stark Expo eight years ago? Mum managed to get me into a car but one of the Hammer drones shot at the car. Mum was fine but a couple of my lower vertebra got shattered. I'm paralysed from the waist down. Dad spent ages trying to find a cure, but it's irreversible." Peter said, picking at the loose thread of his pant legs. 

"Sorry kid, I shouldn't have asked," Sam said awkwardly. 

"You don't need to apologise, you didn't paralyse me," Peter said, smiling tightly. The room quickly descended into an awkward silence. 

"So what do kids your age do for fun?" Bruce asked, breaking the silence. 

"If you hadn't noticed I'm not exactly like other kids my age," Peter said shortly, drumming on his thighs with his hands.

"Okay, well what do you do for fun?" Bruce asked, Peter shrugged. 

"I'm usually in the lab with my dad or reading with my mum. I hang out with my friends a lot, they usually come here though. I like Star Wars?" Peter said, he didn't think he was all that interesting.

"Any extra-curricular?" Clint asked, noticing how Peter's eyes lit up.

"Yeah! I play saxophone in the concert band, I'm the captain of the mathletes team, and I am in the academic decathlon team with my best friends." Peter said, his eyes glittering. 

"The same best friend you have a crush on?" Wanda asked, laughing when Peter blushed darkly. 

"Yes." He said shortly.

"What's she like?" Steve asked, Peter looked back down at his lap. 

"Well, she's a he named Eugene but I call him Flash." Peter blurted out, blush darkening.

"The same one that got you the wheels?" Natasha asked, nodding approvingly when Peter nodded, "He's a keeper." Peter's head snapped up to meet her eyes. 

"No way. Sure he's gay, but I'm not even out of the closet yet. You guys are the only ones that know I'm not straight." Peter said irritably. 

"Why aren't you out?" Bucky asked, Peter just shrugged. 

"It's not like I think people won't accept me. I'm a Stark, not many people would take that chance." Peter paused in thought, the team laughed lightly. 

"It's just I get stared at and talked about behind my back for being a Stark and in a wheelchair, I can't imagine the field day people would have if they found out that I'm gay too. Plus my dad will make a big deal out of it like he does with everything new in my life. I don't have any secrets and this is the first one I do have.

"I know why he's like how he is, he's scared for me, and he wants to protect me. I only just convinced him to let me go outside by myself, but it'll all change when I come out. Suddenly he's gonna be all weird again." Peter said, straightening his pants.

"I don't think he'll do that. If you talk to him and explain he'll listen to you." Steve said. Peter looked up and shrugged.

"Maybe." He said.

"Maybe what?" Tony's voice said from the doorway. Peter jumped so hard in fright he fell off of the lounge. Tony immediately rushed over and helped him back into his seat. Peter wrapped his arms around his middle.

"You better be here next time I need to get out of my chair." Peter said with a smile.

"How'd you get out anyway?" Tony said, prying Peter off of him.

"Bucky helped me, it was really awkward." Peter said, pulling Tony down into the couch next to him.

"Sure kid, or maybe you're just overthinking it." Tony said, waving to the team lazily, "What's with the wheels?" Tony said, narrowing his eyes at them. Peter grinned, letting the brake off to let the chair wheel, causing them to light up.

"Flash got them for me. And don't worry, he already asked the store about them, they role like normal, brake fine and are great on wet ground." Peter listed, Tony nodded.

"What were you guys talking about?" He said suspiciously, raising an eyebrow when the team looked panicked.

"Star Wars! We were talking about Star Wars!" Peter lied, blushing darkly.

"Sure." Tony said, narrowing his eyes.

"You wanna help me with my homework?" Peter asked nervously.

"You only ask for help with your homework when you need to tell me something. What's up?" Tony asked, immediately worried for Peter.

"Well, I do need to tell you something. But you have to promise not to freak out." Peter swallowed thickly.

"Okay, I promise." Tony said, Peter nodded.

"Dad, I'm gay." Peter said quietly, Tony opened and closed his mouth at him, "You promised me you wouldn't freak out." Peter said, worry seeping into his voice.

"Why didn't you tell me sooner?" Tony breathed, taking Peter's hand in his own. Peter looked away from him, shrugging.

"You always freak out when I tell you something new. I don't want you to freak out. I've always been gay, nothing about me has changed." Peter said, staring a hole in the floor.

"Are you ashamed?" Tony asked quietly, staring at the side of Peter's face.

"I mean yeah. Gay was the bad word that no one talked about, and then I turned out to be the bad thing. And for so long I tried to change it, and tried to ignore it and make it go away. But I don't want to make it go away. I want to be happy." Peter said, screwing his eyes shut. Tony nodded.

"Pete, I need you to know that you have nothing to be ashamed of. You are so, god you are so much stronger then I'll ever be. And I can't believe that you were so scared that you couldn't tell me. I love you, you're my son, and you always will be." Tony said, squeezing his hand. Peter nodded, turning to hug Tony from the side, digging his face into his side.

"I love you too." Peter said quietly. Tony hummed, rubbing his shoulder.

"So who's the boy?" Tony asked in a sing-song voice.

"We are not talking about this." Peter said firmly.

"Oh we so are, Avengers in the room or not." Tony said, Peter looked up at him.

"You're an asshole." Peter said, glaring at Tony.

"And you are too." Tony said. Peter sighed, pressing his face back into his side.

"Fine. But you aren't allowed to freak out." Peter said, Tony sighed but nodded, "So you know how I mentioned the other day that I had a crush on one of my best friends? And you thought it was MJ? Well, it obviously wasn't MJ, cause it was Flash." Peter rushed out.

"Flash? So that's why you talk about him so much!" Tony said with a sly smile.

"Yep."

———————————

A few weeks later Peter and Flash started dating, their dynamic didn't change that much, except now they kissed, like a lot. Flash pushed him in the hallways quite a lot too, and it always made Peter smile softly. Flash was pushing him into the penthouse while Peter babbled on about something.

"And then Ned was all gooey cause the experiment landed on him. I had to take him to the bathroom cause he couldn't see and we had to clean it off of his face. It was nasty dude." Peter said, giggling afterwards.

"Don't call me dude like we didn't make out half an hour ago," Flash said, Peter turned his head to smirk at Flash.

"You're just jealous cause I call Ned dude too," Peter said, Flash rolled his eyes. Flash wheeled him into the living room and helped him into a lounge chair. Peter laughed when he cracked a joke.

"So this is the boyfriend." Natasha drawled form the boyfriend.

"Yes ma'am." Flash said nervously. Peter rolled his eyes.

"Jeez Tasha don't scare him, he's been here five minutes. Why are you up here anyway?" Peter said, taking Flash's hand in his own.

"Oh you know, just seeing if Tony's finished on the Widow bites. And I need to make sure this boyfriend of yours is treating you right." Natasha said casually. Peter blushed darkly.

"I've known him since elementary school, I'm pretty sure he treats me right." Peter said.

"I'll be the judge of that." Pepper said from the doorway. Peter paled, leaning in to whisper in Flash's ear.

"You're in trouble now. My mums worse then Tasha." Peter whispered, Flash nodded.

"So, Eugene, what are your intention with my son?"


	5. Growig Up

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An-Ned grows out of Peter's friendship

Peter came into the living room crying freely as he sat heavily in one of the couches. He pressed his knuckles into his eyes, seeing stars dance across his vision. He felt someone sit down next to him gently and start rubbing his back. Peter looked up and saw Tony and sniffled, his head hurt and he just wanted to sleep.

"You okay Pete? You never cry." Tony said gently, Peter sniffled again.

"Do you think I'm childish?" Peter asked quietly, Tony's eyes widened in surprise.

"Well Pete, you are a kid," Tony said cautiously, Peter sighed.

"Do you think I'm childish?" Peter said, firmer this time, more desperately. Tony shifted uncomfortably.

"You've always acted a little younger then you are, but I don't think you're childish. It's ok to have interests people think are for kids, or need a little more physical affection than other kids your age." Tony said gently, squeezing Peter's shoulder, "What brought this on kiddo?" Peter looked up at him, his eyes shining with tears.

"Ned said he doesn't wanna be friends anymore," Peter said softly, playing with his fingers in his lap.

"Oh god Peter, come here buddy." Tony said softly, opening his arms up for Peter to fall into his lap, "You wanna tell me what happened?"

"I was talking to him about the new LEGO set I got for my birthday and Ned told me to shut up. He then said that he was sick of being friends with me because he gets picked on for it. And he said that everyone makes fun on me cause I'm a baby. Cause I like Star Wars and I like LEGO and action figures." Peter said, hiding his face in Tony's stomach.

"Pete you can like whatever you want. You can do whatever you want, it's your life. It's his loss kid, you've always been an amazing friend, kind and compassionate, and Ned doesn't deserve that. You'll find other friends, and they'll treat you with the same kindness you treat others with." Tony said, rubbing Peter's arm.

"You think so?" Peter asked softly.

"I know so." Tony said firmly, "Now let's put on some TV, I had FRIDAY install the tenth season of Stargate, you wanna watch?" Tony smiled when Peter nodding, turning so that he was still in Tony's lap, but so he could see the screen.

————————————

Peter hated this, staring at an empty table, picking at his food. Ned was already in with Flash's group, so that left Peter alone. Peter hated the silence but at the same time the deafening noise of the cafeteria. But the library was closed so he was sat in the cafeteria alone staring at his food with tears in his eyes. Ned and he had been friends since they were babies, and suddenly Ned ignored him and refused to talk to him.

Sure, maybe Tony and the team were great, encouraging him to talk about his interests and favourite tv shows and movies, but he missed being able to come to school and forget that his parents were famous. When someone's lunch tray slammed down in front of him he snapped his head up to look at the person, blinking away his tears to stare at the kid who had sat there. He was in his well-being class, Peter was only in there because in two years he'd lost two guardians. He didn't know why that kid was in there, apparently, he was troubled.

"You're that kid that likes Star Wars, and Stargate and Star Trek right?" He said, Peter's friendly smile dropped.

"If you're here to make fun of me I've had enough of that recently. I'm not gonna sit here and let you call me a baby." Peter said firmly, picking at his food with his fork again.

"Actually no, I was gonna ask you what you thought about the last episode of Stargate SG1." He said, Peter looked up at him and blinked, someone actually wanted to sit with him and talk about Stargate, other than Tony?

"Why?" Peter asked nervously, looking around for someone filming or laughing at him.

"I heard around the grapevine that you're our resident nerd. Wanted someone other than my old man who I could talk with it about." He said, Peter didn't peg him as the type to like Stargate; he had the typical punk aesthetic type going, spiked up hair, piercings and dark eyeshadow. Peter didn't think he'd be talking to him any day.

"No, but like why are you sitting with me? No one sits with me unless they're fucking with me or want to beat me up." Peter said stiffly.

"I dunno, you're a cool dude, educated and informed, not like all these other fuckers from Midtown." He said, pushing his lunch tray away from him.

"Lack of Ignorance isn't the only reason to hang out with a loser like me," Peter said, looking down at his food again. He pushed it away with a disgusted face.

"You aren't a loser. You're just hurting. That Ned kid hurt you you bad. I've always wanted to be your friend, but that Ned was too protective of you for me to get close, he practically bared his teeth every time someone tried to befriend you." He said, the name clicked, Cyrus. Peter rose an eyebrow.

"Yeah, he was a bit manipulative, to be honest," Peter said with a small smile. Cyrus laughed, deep, from his chest.

"A bit? Say you have a nickname?" Cyrus asked, Peter shrugged. Then a smile grew on his face, he only let Tony call him it but he felt like he trusted Cyrus.

"Pete, or Ben, or Benny or Benji," Peter said offhandedly. Cyrus looked up at him curiously.

"You haven't let someone call you that since your uncle died." He said bluntly, Peter shrugged, a grin on his face.

"Lots of things have changed," Peter said, Cyrus nodded, grinning back at Peter.

"Alright Benny, how what do you think of the last episode of SG1?" Cyrus said, smirking slightly. Peter smirked.

"Well my dad and I cried, I mean come on, how could you not?" Peter said, Cyrus sniffled, making Peter throw his head back and laugh.

"I gotta admit I cried too. Say how bout you sit with me and my friends?" Cyrus asked, Peter smiled.

"I think I'd like that." Peter liked that Cyrus didn't ask what he meant by his dad.

——————————

Peter shoved Cyrus particularly hard, making him stumble. Johnny laughed at the scene.

"You can't do Daniel dirty like that, he's a fucking god," Peter shouted, Cyrus rolled his eyes, stepping out of the elevator with the rest of the group.

"You're just a simp for Daniel." Cyrus teases, they all knew of Peter's adamant crush on Daniel.

"Proudly," Peter said, dropping his backpack on the floor.

"You pick that backpack up and take it to your room before your mum rips us both a new one," Tony muttered, pointing at the backpack expectantly. Peter looked him in the eyes as he picked it up.

"I'm only picking it up because mums scary as." Peter said, "Do I even get a hello Peter how was your day my son who I love greatly?" Peter asked, raising an eyebrow. Tony rolled his eyes.

"Hello, Peter how was your day my son who I love greatly?" Tony said, Peter's face broke into a wide smile.

"It was great! I got the solo in band, and in the glee club." Peter said happily. Tony nodded.

"Good job kiddo, glad you took back up band and glee, you love those things," Tony said, Peter nodded. Walking up to him and hugging him, Tony rose an eyebrow.

"You're in a good mood," Tony commenting, Peter nodded.

"I am! Brought friends over, I hope you don't mind." Peter said, Tony shrugged wheezing when Peter squeezed him.

"Care to introduce me?" Tony asked, prying Peter off of him, "You never bring friends over." Peter nodded.

"That's cause you and the team are weird whenever I bring friends over," Peter said.

"We are not," Tony said.

"Sure. Anyway, Cyrus, Johnny, MJ, Dylan, and Jasper." Peter pointed to each of them, they wither raised a hand of dismissal or smiled.

"Okay cool, they staying for dinner?" Tony asked, rocking on his heels with a knowing smile, Peter swatted him.

"Sure, we'll eat in the lounge room though," Peter said with a firm nod.

"Cool, cool, cap's making pasta," Tony said.

"Dinosaur pasta?" Peter said hopefully.

"Yes Peter, dinosaur pasta," Tony said, Peter smiled wide again and turned to his friends.

"You guys get to see my room," Peter said, shifting his backpack strap. He opened his door nervously, his walls were covered in TV posters, band posters, his ceiling was hand-painted to look like a galaxy. His desk was littered with paints and brushes, graphite pencils and art paper. His shelves were covered in books and action figures.

"Wicked dude," MJ said, examining his art materials.

"How long did this take?" Cyrus said, clearly in awe. Peter shrugged.

"A couple of weeks, my mum and dad kept trying to help but I practically hissed whenever they tried to help," Peter said sheepishly. Cyrus nodded.

"It is literally amazing Benji." Cyrus breathed, Peter blushed darkly and awkwardly tidied his stack of comics on his bedside.

Hours later they were sitting in the lounge room, Peter happily took the bowl from Steve as he handed it to him, "Thanks capsicle." Peter said with an innocent smile.

"No problem Pete," Steve said, handing the other kids their bowls as well. They were a weird mix, they had the typical geeky dressed kid, the punk, the artist, the sporty one, the too many layers, and the all skin. Peter loved them honestly, maybe one of them more than the others.

"You're too much like your dad for your own good," Steve muttered, Peter rose an eyebrow, tripping Steve on his way out by being his leg out at a weird angle.

"You love me," Peter said sweetly as Steve got up, muttering about something.

"Woah! I didn't know you were so flexible." Dylan shouted, Peter hummed, digging into his pasta.

"Hidden talent?" Peter said innocently.

"So. We know you're simping hard for Daniel Jackson, but who else are you simping for?" MJ said just as innocently. Peter blushed and hid his face in his bowl.

"No one," Peter said with a shrug.

"Oh come on, you're always all blushy and flustered when you're with us!" Johnny insisted.

"Am not!" Peter protested, placing his bowl down on the floor.

"Damn you eat fast. And you so do!" Jasper countered, pointing his fork at Peter.

"Do not!" Peter shouted, flopping down onto the floor on his back.

"You so do? Who is it?" Cyrus asked, leaning towards Peter onto his elbow. Peter blinked at him making Cyrus smirk, "Oh my god, it's one of us isn't it!" Cyrus exclaimed, Peter open and closed his mouth and flushed immediately.

"Well it can't be me, you're gay as fuck," MJ said, Peter rolled his eyes at her.

"No shit," Peter said, looking back up at the ceiling.

"Is it Dylan?" Cyrus teased, Peter groaned, rolling over onto his stomach, "What about Jasper?" Pete groaned again, his glaze blazing red.

"It's you, you idiot," Peter said, blushing darker when Cyrus met his eyes.

"Oh." Cyrus said, blushing darkly.

"Yeah oh you asshole," Peter said.

"If it means anything I like you too, like that. More then a friend I mean." Cyrus blurted out. Peter's eyes bulged out of his head.

"Oh," Peter said, shutting his mouth firmly.

"Yeah. Oh." Cyrus said, looking away from Peter.

"Oh my god, just fucking kiss already." MJ groaned. Peter and Cyrus made eye contact for a moment before lunging at Cyrus, crashing into him, being him to the floor, kissing him hard. Cyrus paused for a moment before kissing back equally as hard, they both had their eyes screwed shut. Peter pulled back and blushed darkly, jumped off of Cyrus quickly.

"Sorry. Spur of the moment got ahead of myself." Peter mumbled, Cyrus nodded in a daze.

"No problem." He breathed, Peter sat next to him nervously, Cyrus took his hand, Peter looked up at him before hurriedly looking away. Tony walked into the room whistling before he stopped in his tracks and narrowed his eyes at Cyrus and Peter's linked hands.

"Why do I feel like I missed something?" Tony asked suspiciously. Peter looked up at him.

"Because you did," Peter said nervously, Tony clicked his tongue.

"Ooh, do this is the same Cyrus you've been crushing on since-" Tony was cut off by Peter lunging at him, covering his mouth with his hands.

"You said you wouldn't tell." Peter squeaked, Peter uncovered his mouth for him to reply.

"That was until FRIDAY informed me that someone was taking my son's innocence away-" Peter clamped his hands over his mouth again, pushing him out of the room.

"How about you go do old man stuff while I hang out with my friends and try to get myself out of the mess you put me in?" Peter said, Tony protested as Peter pushed him out of the room. Peter turned back to his friends nervously.

"Who wants to watch pixels?" Peter squeaked. Once they had all gotten seated on the couches Cyrus gently sat next to Peter and took his hand, smiling softly.

"You're really cool Benji." Byrd's said softly, Peter smiled.

"You too Ci."


	6. Episodes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An-Peter has schizophrenia and has an episode

_"Hey Tony, I'm just calling to tell you some things. I'm not sure if Peter has told you yet or if you've flipped through his medical records, but now that he's staying with you it's important you know. Peter has severe schizophrenia, he's on a new medication that has so far been working but sometimes when he enters a new environment where he's stressed he shows symptoms. He trusts you so everything should be ok."_ Said May's cherry voice. Except it wasn't ok because Peter had pressed himself into the corner of the lounge room, his head in his right elbow, and his left hand swinging a butchers knife around.

"Tony please explain why Spiderman first has his mask off, and second why he is brandishing a knife while crying," Steve demanded, Tony sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. Peter was muttering something over and over again into his elbow, the knife jerking around.

"He has schizophrenia. The medication he's on is supposed to help with the symptoms but he must be extremely stressed right now or this wouldn't be happening. FRIDAY, status report?" Tony asked, turned back to Peter.

"Peter is having a stage five hallucination, he has been experiencing stage eight paranoia for the last sixteen hours. He has not slept in three days." FRIDAY said, Tony paled, cursing loudly.

"What the hell does that mean Tony?" Clint asked. Tony screwed his eyes shut trying to think of a way out of this.

"To him what he's seeing looks, feels and sounds 100% real. I don't know what he's seeing but he must be scared." Tony said, stepping forward slowly, Peter snapped his head up to stare at him.

"Dad?" He said quietly, Tony nodded.

"Yeah it's me buddy, it's dad, Tony, Ironman." He said firmly, Peter's face hardened and he raised the knife again.

"You aren't real. They're trying to trick me." He said, his bottom lip quivering.

"Who's trying to trick you bud?" Tony asked gently, Peter made a distressed noise form the back of his throat.

"The men, there's five, can't you see them?" Peter asked incredulously.

"No Pete I can't see them, they're hallucinations. Benny baby I need you to put the knife down and come towards me." Tony said, crouching down a few feet in front of Peter. Peter shook his head, screwing his eyes shut.

"Only if you can tell me five things only my dad would know," Peter said firmly, Tony sighed, five was Peter's favourite number. Tony nodded, stopping his movements when Peter raised the knife again.

"You only let me call you by your middle name because it reminds you too much of your uncle, Ben. When I say it it makes you feel safe." Tony said, Peter nodded, allowing Tony to creep forward.

"You're favourite colour is fire engine red because it's on the iron man suit," Tony said, Peter nodded again, holding the knife less tightly.

"You call waffles buff pancakes because they look like pancakes with abs," Tony said with a small smile, Peter nodded again lowering the knife slightly.

"Last year you won first place at the science fair at your school because you built a mini-arc reactor. I came to the presentation and threw a party afterwards." Tony said, Peter lowered their knife further, his eyes softening.

"You say you hate it when I call you Benny Baby but I know you love it because Your aunt May told me," Tony said, Peter dropped the knife like it burnt him a and lunged into Tony's waiting arms.

"You're real. You're real. You're real." Peter muttered over and over again. Tony nodded, tilting him closer.

"I'm real. I'm real." Tony reassured, Peter cried softly into his shoulder.

"Dad I'm scared." Peter whispered, screwing his eyes shut.

"I know Benny Baby, but you're safe, no ones gonna hurt you. I'll keep you safe." Tony said firmly, Peter dug his face into Tony's shoulder, clenching his hands around Tony's shirt.

"I thought the medication was working but it can't be, cause I heard the voices again like I did before, and, and I saw them in the doorways and, and they kept trying to touch me and I got scared and, and I didn't wanna get hurt." Peter cried, holding Tony's shirt tighter.

"I know Pete, May told me that when you're stressed sometimes the symptoms show through. But that's ok, you're allowed to have bad days, even really bad days. But you're ok, you're always ok, and I'll do everything to help." Tony said, rocking Peter in his arms.

"I'm sorry, dad I'm sorry, I'm so so so sorry I, I, I didn't, I don't-" Peter started, Tony just shrugged him.

"It's ok Benny, you were scared and you didn't want anyone to hurt you. You didn't hurt me, you didn't hurt anyone. You could never hurt anyone." Tony said, rubbing Peter's back soothingly.

"But I could've hurt you really badly and-" Tony shushed him again.

"No, I'm not gonna hear it," Tony said gently, continuing the swaying.

"I'm gonna fall asleep," Peter said softly, Tony nodded.

"I'll stay with you Pete, it's ok." Tony said gently, smiling lightly when Peter's breathing slowed down and he went limp in his arms.

"FRIDAY send May a message saying that Peter had an episode, he's ok now but I'll explain later. He's asleep and I'll stay with him." Tony said, slowly standing up with Peter latched onto him, Peter whined in his sleep and automatically wrapped his legs around Tony's waist.

"Miss Parker has replied saying thank you and that she appreciates your help. She kindly asked what he said and did, and if he hurt himself or anyone." FRIDAY said, Tony nodded, holding Peter tighter to himself.

"He saw five men throughout the day, he had a knife but didn't hurt anyone. He tried to tell me I wasn't real, I had to tell him five things only I would know about him and he dropped the knife and calmed down. I'll try to get his meds fixed with Bruce, don't worry you won't have to pay a cent. Have a good night May, I need to get a baby spider to bed." Tony said, turning toward the team who looked at him curiously.

"So you're a dad?" Clint asked, pointing to Peter in his arms.

"Yep. Happened a while ago, started sharing custody with his aunt a couple months back so I could have him over one weekend and sometimes when his aunt had late-night shifts at the hospital." Tony paused to shift Peter's weight, "he started staying with me full time a while back cause his aunt took a job out of state. She told me about his schizophrenia when he first started living here. He hadn't had an episode for a long time."

"And he's Spider-Man?" Steve asked incredulously, Tony nodded.

"He was Spider-Man before I recruited him, but I made it safer for him. Good kid, won't ever give up, good heart, better then I'll ever be." Tony said, grunting as Peter slipped in his grip slightly.

"You need help carrying him?" Bucky asked, Peter shook his head.

"Nah, he's done his sticky thing. Won't come off till he wakes up, I'm stuck with him until he wakes up. I'm taking the couch." Tony said, falling down onto the couch with a thump.

"Cool. Just, please, tell us next time you adopt a kid?" Sam said, Tony hummed already falling asleep.

"Will do."


	7. Face-Plant

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An-Peter is the son of James Rhodes and Tony Stark, Rhodey has been on deployment for two years when he decided to surprise Peter by coming to his school

Peter was honestly terrified when his principal called him up to the stage. Being a high school freshmen made him extremely nervous to get up in front of his entire school. He nervously shuffled onto the stage and stood where Mr Moritz pointed for him.

"You're adopted correct Peter?" The man asked, Peter leaned forward into the microphone.

"Yes sir," Peter said nervously, he was only ever on the stage to receive awards.

"And you have two fathers?" The man asked, Peter rose an eyebrow.

"That's correct, they adopted be after fostering me as a baby. When they got custody of me I was two." Peter said calmly, hoping this wasn't some attack on his parents.

"And isn't it correct one of your fathers is in the airforce?" The man asked, Peter's eyebrows knitted in confusion.

"Yes sir," Peter said nervously.

"And if I'm correct your father has been on deployment. For how long now?" The man asked, smiling kindly at Peter.

"Um, two years now sir," Peter said, looking down at his feet.

"When is he due to return?" The man asked, Peter fiddled with his hands.

"He was supposed to come back today, but my pa said he got caught up in some stuff," Peter said quietly.

"What have I told you about listening to your pa?" A voice said from the hall entrance. Peter's head snapped up to look at the owner of the voice. His dad! His mouth dropped open and he dropped his hands in shock.

"Aren't you gonna give your old man a hug?" Rhodey teased, Peter ran down the stairs of the stage so fast he fell down them, face-planting on the floor. He didn't waste a moment before shooting up from the ground and running full felt at Rhodey, slamming into him. Rhodey made a small 'Oof' sound but successfully caught Peter under his arms pits, holding him just above the ground. Peter was crying into his shoulder, Rhodey sniffed, feeling the tears gathering in his eyes.

"Didn't know you missed me that much." Rhodey teased, Peter nodded into his shoulder, sniffing hard.

"I missed you s-so much." Peter sobbed, Rhodey smiled, rubbing Peter's back.

"I missed you too Pete," Rhodey whispered, putting Peter back down on the floor, swaying them in the hug from side to side. Peter just held him tighter.

"You got taller," Rhodey commented, patting him on the head.

"Only a couple of inches," Peter said, his face still pressed into Rhodey's shoulder.

"You're up time my shoulder now, that's more then a couple of inches," Rhodey said, tears streaming down his face.

"I'm almost taller then pa now, he's so mad about it," Peter said, sniffing as he pulled back from Rhodey's shoulder.

"Oh god, Pete your face is all messed up now," Rhodey said quietly, Peter just grinned up at him. His face was all cut up from falling down the stairs and he was bleeding lightly.

"I couldn't care less, my dads home." Peter said, hugging him tightly again, "How long are you gonna be home this time?" He asked quietly.

"Forever actually. I'm retiring." Rhodey said, a smile splitting across his features. Peter pulled back and grabbed Rhodey's shoulders, shaking him.

"You're serious? You're staying?!" Peter asked frantically, Rhodey nodded. Peter sniffed again.

"Come on kiddo, let's go home," Rhodey said, throwing an arm around Peter's shoulders.

"One sec I have to get my bag," Peter said, running to his seat and grabbing his backpack, high fiving Ned and MJ before running out the doors after his dad. Rhodey smiles fondly at Peter, wrapping an arm around his shoulders, messing with his hair in his other hand.

"Does pa know you're back?" Peter asked with a smile.

"Oh, he has no idea."


	8. Portals

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An-Peter is Tony's biological son, after Tony drives the missile into the portal and comes back out Peter manages to get to him (Peter goes by his middle name)

"Sorry kid, but Tony Stark doesn't have a son," Steve said firmly, Peter looked up at him. 

"I'm telling you! He's my dad! You gotta let me see him!" Peter cried, when Steve moved his arm just enough for Peter to get past him he dived, skidding on his knees towards Tony, ripping his pants thoroughly. He raised his hands in panic, ripping the faceplate off of his father's face with as much thirteen-year-old strength he could with a grunt. He cried out when he finally got it off of him and flung it behind him. 

"JARVIS, life signs?!" Peter asked frantically, tapping his father's cheek. 

"I am afraid there are no life signs. I am sorry Master Peter." JARVIS said, Peter couldn't stop the tears dribbling out of his eyes. 

"NO! No, you can't, you can't leave me. You're supposed to watch me graduate high school, and, and, I'm supposed to come out, and you're supposed to watch me go to MIT, and get married and have babies that you make call you gramps." Peter cried, pulling Tony into his lap, he was limp in his grasp. 

" _Please_! You gotta wake up! Dad, please, you have to wake up, you can't leave me alone." Peter cried, hugging Tony around his neck, pulling him into his chest. 

"You have to wake up," Peter whispered, when he suddenly heard the whirring of the reactor he basically dropped Tony in his haste to put him down on the floor. 

"JARVIS?!" He shouted.

"Life signs returning. He's going to be ok." JARVIS said, Peter watched as Tony's eyes opened slowly, blinking up at him in confusion. 

"Aren't you supposed to be at school?" Tony asked, confusion lacing his voice. Peter nodded, his bottom lip wobbling at he collapsed into Tony's arms. 

"I thought you were dead, I thought you were gonna leave," Peter whispered, Tony shushed him, running a hand through his hair, closing his eyes tightly to stop his own tears flowing. 

"My Bambino, I would never. Ben, I would never, ever do that." Tony whispered into his hair. 

"You better not." Peter whispered, Tony grunted making Peter jump off of him, "Are you ok? Are you hurt? JARVIS said there weren't any life signs. Are reacter just have stopped when you went through the portal. Are you ok?" Peter rambled, Tony groaned as he said up, waving a hand of dismissal. 

"Just a couple of scratches." He said, couching into his hand. 

"Just a couple of scratches my ass you fucking died," Peter said, narrowing his eyes, Tony's eyes widened at Peter. 

"Who taught you those words?" He asked, fighting the smile making its way onto his face. 

"You," Peter said with a shrug, helping Tony up off the ground. 

"Touche." Tony said, swaying on his feet only for Peter to pull his arm around his shoulders, "I'm not an old man Benny." He grumbled, Peter snorted, walking forwards with Tony. 

"Sure dad," Peter said sarcastically. 

"You know what, I have had just about enough of your attitude. I'll tell Pepper." Tony said, Peter smirked up at him. 

"Wait till I tell Pepper to flew through a portal," Peter said, Tony's eyes widened in fear. 

"Oh please don't. She might actually kill me." Tony pleaded, Peter couldn't help but snicker. 

"Serves you right for being a dummy," Peter said in a sing-song voice. When Tony and Peter stopped in front of the team Steve looked guilty.

"Told you he was my dad asshole," Peter said, his eyes hardening. 

"Woah, Woah, did you just swear at America's sweetheart?" Tony asked, breaking into laughter. 

"You were literally dead and he wasn't letting me through. I think I have the right to do that." Peter mumbled making Tony laugh harder. 

"Only you Ben, only you," Tony said with a smile. Tony grunted, pushing off his Peter to rip off the rest of the suit. Peter rose an eyebrow. 

"What? It's useless now." Tony said, Peter shook his head. 

"You could still use the parts," Peter said, Tony hummed, standing up straight again.

"You was Shwarma? I have no idea what it is but it looks good." Tony said, Peter frowned up at him. 

"Are you always thinking about food?" He asked, Tony hummed. 

"Give me a break I almost died. Besides you're a teenager, you're always hungry too." Tony said, Peter rolled his eyes.

\------------------------------

"So. You have a son?" Steve said, Tony and Peter nodded in sync.

"Yep," Tony said, Peter rolled his eyes when Tony ruffled his hair. 

"Since when?" Clint asked, narrowing his eyes. Tony and Peter shrugged again.

"Since he was born," Tony said, handing Peter a pair of chop-sticks, which he took gratefully. 

"But like? When?" Bruce said, Peter snorted, Tony shoved him making Peter laugh again. Tony's face dropped in thought for a moment. 

"Back when I was sleeping around I ended up getting his mum pregnant. She didn't want him, so she left him outside of my place in Malibu." Tony said, ruffling Peter's hair again. 

"She wasn't ever my mum." He muttered, Tony rolled his eyes. 

"I got the pleasure of naming him," Tony said with a smirk, Peter rolled his eyes. 

"Unfortunately," Peter grumbled. 

"WHy's that unfortunate?" Natasha asked. 

"He hates his first name. Won't let me call him it. He goes by his middle names." Tony said, Peter huffed. 

"So what is his name?" Bruce asked. 

"Peter Benjamin-Edward Stark," Tony said, Peter made a face. 

"It sounds weird when you say my whole name." He mumbled, Tony rolled his eyes, snatching Peter's glasses off of his face. Peter blinked before grabbing at Tony blindly. 

"Hey! Give them back! You're such an asshole." Peter said, accidentally grabbing Tony's face. Peter frowned, narrowing his eyes, Tony finally shoved them back onto his face. 

"The disrespect." Tony tutted, Peter stuck his tongue out while making a face. 

"You made them all dirty," Peter grumbled, cleaning them on his shirt.

"I'll do it again." Tony threatened. Peter looked up at him as he narrowed his eyes. 

"You wouldn't dare," Peter said, pushing them up the bridge of his nose. 

"Would I? What are you gonna do about it?" Tony asked, Peter smirked. 

"I'll get JARVIS to lock you out of the lab and I'll get DUMM-E to sing Christmas carols," Peter said, grinning as TOny's face dropped. 

"Okay, okay, I won't take them again. Now let's go home, I need a warm couch and TV." Tony said, pushing his takeaway box away from him, motioning to everyone to stand up as well. 

"Can we watch Star Wars?" Peter asked hopefully, Tony shrugged. 

"Sure. You want a piggyback ride?" Tony asked, Peter blushed darkly as the team snickered. 

"Dad, I'm not eight anymore," Peter mumbled.

"You're only saying that because the Avengers are here." Tony said, waving Peter over here, "Now get your butt over here, I'm not asking again." Tony said, Peter rolled his eyes before clambering onto Tony's back. 

"You sure your knees aren't gonna give out old man?" Peter quipped, Tony smirked, shifting Peer to he was further on his back. Peter screeched when Tony started running, "Slow down! I'm gonna fall off!" Peter threw his head back to laugh. Tony laughed before slowing down to a walk.

"How's that for an old man?" Tony asked, Peter rolled his eyes. The team watched as Tony continuously sped up and down making Peter jolt and laugh wildly on his back. When they finally got back to the tower Tony and Peter were both out of breath. When they ran straight into Pepper, Peter slid off of Tony's back and onto the floor. 

"Peter Benjamin-Edward Stark! Where have you been! I get a call from your school saying to run out, and you didn't think to answer your phone?!" Pepper shouted, Peter winced, hiding behind Tony slightly. 

"I'm sorry miss Potts, I didn't mean to worry you. I saw the live feed of the fight and saw dad coming out of the portal and I panicked." Peter said, looking down at his feet. Pepper's face softened. 

"It's ok Peter, you were scared. Come here you must have been worried sick." Pepper rushed forward to hug Peter, who looked over his shoulder at Tony to stick his tongue out. Tony rolled his eyes at the two. 

"Why does she get to call you Peter but I don't?" Tony asked. Pepper pulled back from Peter to glare at Tony. 

"Because I don't fly into open portals that lead into the depths of space! What were you thinking Tony? Were you even thinking?" She shouted, Tony paled. 

"If I hadn't closed the portal Peter wouldn't have been safe," Tony said sheepishly, shrinking under Pepper's gaze. Pepper's face hardened. 

"There are other ways of keeping those you love safe!" She was about to continue when Peter cleared his throat. 

"As much as I am enjoying you lecturing my father, I need some help with my business studies assignment and I was wondering if you wanted to help me?" Peter asked innocently, Pepper dropped her hand and sighed. 

"Sure sweetheart, just let me tie up some loose ends and I'll meet you in the penthouse." Pepper said tiredly, Peter nodded, grinning at her. Tony let out a sigh of relief. 

"I owe you my life, Ben." He breathed, Peter laughed loudly. 

"That you do."


	9. Poems

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An-Peter is apart of the sexual assault survivors support group

"And now we have Peter Parker representing the sexual assault support group here at the school with a poem. Go ahead Peter." The deputy said, Peter stood up from his seat and walking up to the microphone, wincing at the bright light stinging his eyes. His eyes found May's in the crowd, she nodded encouragingly.

"You don't own me  
You don't own my body  
You don't own my skin  
You don't own my flesh

You don't own the thoughts I think  
You don't own the words I speak  
You don't own the breathes I take  
You don't own the steps I make

You said let's have some fun  
But I couldn't move   
I couldn't talk  
I couldn't walk  
I couldn't run

I slurred when I spoke but you heard what you wanted when I couldn't even talk  
You took what you wanted even though I can barely remember it  
You took what you wanted because you couldn't have it  
You took what you wanted because I was vulnerable 

But I can remember begging you to stop  
I can still feel you pulling down my underwear  
I can still feel the weight of you on top of me, crushing me   
I can still feel you going inside me and the unbearable pain that followed  
I can still feel the bruises you left holding me down  
I can still feel your breath on my neck

You say you're better  
You say you're a good person now  
But no matter what I still can't breath  
No matter what you don't own me" Peter finished, the paper crinkling in his hands. He looked up at the crowd, who were shocked into silence. They all, of course, knew what had happened between Peter and Brad. At least a hundred kids were roped into the trial. Peter nodded and stepped back from the mic.

"Thank you, Peter. You are all dismissed." The deputy said quietly. Peter quickly walked backstage. He took in several deep breaths, he had never talked about it other than in court. And god, Brad didn't even get prison time, just three months probation and moving schools. When Brad kept approaching Peter they managed to get a restraining order, only just.

Peter jumped when he felt someone rest a hand on his shoulder. He turned his head over his shoulder and relaxed when he saw that it was just May. He wiped the tears he didn't even know that he'd shed.

"Hey May." He said quietly, she smiled down at him.

"Hey, Peter." She said gently, tears springing to her eyes, "I'm so proud of you Peter." Peter sniffed, nodding.

"So am I."

———————————

Peter almost couldn't go to the tower. He knew that they'd seen it, someone in the crowd had filmed him speaking his poem and it had gone viral immediately. He couldn't walk anywhere without someone stopping him; in the street, on the subway, on the bus, in the halls at school, everywhere. It was just a matter of time before the team saw it.

He stood in the elevator nervously rocking on his heels, is stopped smoothly, "You have arrived on the common room floor Peter, have a lovely day."

"Thank you FRIDAY. You too." He said stiffly, holding his backpack straps tighter.

"I would like to say Peter that I have been informed of your presentation at school. I am very proud of you." She said, Peter smiled down at the floor.

"Thank you FRIDAY, that means a lot," Peter said, stepping out of the elevator and quietly walking into the living room where the whole team was sat staring at the floor.

"Hey, guys." He said softly, they all looked up to look at him.

"Come sit Peter." Tony said gently, Peter gulped, fiddling with his fingers.

"You're ok, just sit. I think we should talk about this." Tony said, patting the seat next to him on the couch. Peter nodded, sitting next to him hesitantly, sitting as far away from him as possible.

"I didn't mean for you guys to find out like that. I didn't know someone had taken a video of the poem until this morning when the principal called me into his office." Peter said, holding his knees tightly.

"Do you want the video taken down? Because I can get it taken down." Tony said, Peter shook his head firmly.

"People need to know what he did. Not only to me but to other people." Peter said, his Adam's apple bobbing in his throat.

"Okay. It's your decision, and I trust it." Tony said, Peter nodded.

"I um, I didn't even know I'd been raped at the beginning. All I got were flashes of the memory, I thought it was a dream. Until one of Brad's friends told me about it." Peter said stiffly, staring down at his knees.

"When? No how did it happen?" Tony asked quietly, Peter shrugged.

"He threw a party. I didn't want to go at first but Ned and MJ convinced me. I only had one drink, but I put it down for a minute, and that was all he needed to drug it. It made me paralysed, I couldn't move. I couldn't do anything. I woke up the next morning in his bedroom and couldn't remember how I got there or where I was. He left my clothes on me at least." Peter said, scrunching his pant legs.

"Got kid, was it that party last summer?" Tony asked, Peter nodded.

"Yeah. I was so excited to go too, I got to hang out with Ned and MJ, and I was gonna go to my first high school party. Maybe get a little drunk, but I never thought that would happen." Peter said softly.

"That's rough." Tony disc Peter nodded.

"Yeah, but I'll be ok. I'm getting better. I can actually look at my body again, without you know, thinking of that night." Peter said, screwing his eyes shut.

"That's great." Natasha said gently, Peter nodded.

"I think what people don't get about it all," Peter swallowed, "Is that it never really goes away. I didn't feel like me for the longest time, none of my clothes looked right, they were too bright or too tight. I borrowed a bunch of clothes from Ned because I just could wear mine." Peter said softly, his eyes glassy.

"What was the trial like?" Steve asked, Peter let out a puff of air.

"Shit," Peter said with a bitter smile.

"Shit how?" Bucky asked, Peter shrugged.

"Well there were a lot of people who testified, people who saw him drug me, people who saw him taking me upstairs, people who walked in during or after. People who he told. People who I told." Peter said, shrugging again, "It was really scary. There were so many people and I had to read out a statement. I felt so vulnerable but so alone."

"Did he get time?" Wanda asked, Peter let out another puff of air from his nose.

"If you count three months probation. The judge said that because he was a first-time offender he didn't want to mess up his life. He's a registered sex offender now though, so it's harder for him to do it again." Peter said.

"But that's ridiculous!" Tony exclaimed. Peter shrugged. 

"It's life. They were so focused on not messing his life up that they forget that he already messed up my life. He um, he stalked me for a while and kept trying to talk to my, making new Instagram accounts to comment on my posts and to message me on. Saying that if he had the chance he'd do it again. May and I only just managed to get a restraining order. Now he can't be within fifty metres of me." Peter said, shrugging again afterwards.

"God Peter I am so sorry, we never even knew," Tony whispered, Peter shrugged again. 

"It happened, I can't change the past. All I can do now is heal."


	10. Just Peter and New York air

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An-Peter is sitting on top of a building when Clint comes along, sometimes being newly deaf is hard for Peter (He's spiderman but civil war didn't happen so Tony didn't recruit him or give him the suit)(let's pretend this is before he married Laura and had children)

Peter hated everything at the moment, that car crash had taken everything from him. His hearing, his aunt, his home. Everything. So now the only escape he had was sitting himself on top of buildings and staring down at New York, swinging his legs and humming as the wind blew through his hair. It was peaceful, no snotty kids form the orphanage, no demanding caretakers. Just Peter and the cold New York nights, Yeah, maybe he should have brought a jumper with him. 

He almost jumped out of his skin when someone sat next to him. He'd taken out his hearing aids, he liked the peacefulness of it. He hurriedly pulled them out of his pocket and fumbled to put them on. He was met with the loud horns and screaming of people, he winced lightly, turning the dial down on the hearing aids. The man smiled sympathetically. 

"Sorry, didn't mean to scare you. You looked cold, wanted to see if you wanted a blanket." THe man said, banishing the fluffy blanket he was holding. Peter nodded and took it from him humming as he wrapped it around himself. 

"Do kids your age make a habit of sitting on top of building instead of being cozy in a nice warm bed?" THe man said, Peter snorted. He looked nice enough, dirty blond hair, blue eyes and a toothy smile. A scar ran through his eyebrow and his face was littered with other scars as well. Peter's eyes widened when he saw the hearing aids, he pointed to them then to his own.

"Oh yeah, I'm deaf. Are you?" The man asked, Peter nodded. He didn't like talking all that much, it sounded weird now like it wasn't his voice. 

"You not a talker?" The man asked, Peter felt the smile tugging at his lips before he could stop it. He laughed as he nodded. 

"So why are you out here?" He asked Peter shrugged. Frowning at his hands, picking at his nails. 

"I live in an orphanage. It's not like they are bad people or anything, just too many people." Peter shrugged, the man nodded. 

"I here you, I live with quite a few people myself. Sometimes it's nice to just sit somewhere quiet." He said, Peter hummed in agreeance, turning back to the street. 

"I don't like the noise that much. I used to love it, I couldn't stand silence. But now I hate noise. I guess it kind of reminds me of how I lost my hearing." Peter sid quietly, the man nodded. 

"Do you remember it then? You weren't born deaf?" The man asked, Peter snorted and shook his head no. 

"No, car crash. I still have dreams about it, all the blood and the noise. I don't really remember how it happened, but something went through one of my ears and severed the connection. They managed to fix it enough that I could get hearing aids. Lots and lots of blood." Peter said softly, the man nodded. 

"Nightmares are rough. I have them too." The man said, Peter nodded. 

"About what?" He asked softly, pulling the blanket around him tighter. 

"My dad. He was abusive, horrible man. Almost killed me a couple of times." He said solemly, Peter nodded again. 

"I don't really remember my parents. They died when I was little in a plane crash. Sometimes I see someone that looks similar to them and I get deja vu. Or sometimes I can hear their voices in my dreams." Peter said softly, pinching the blanket between his fingers. 

"That why you're in the orphanage?" THe man asked, Peter shook his head. 

"Nah, I was put with my aunty and uncle when I was five. Everything was fine for a while until my uncle got caught up in a robbery at the corner store, he got shot. I was there when it happened. The car crash that caused me to lose my hearing killed her. She suffered from head trauma." Peter said, resting his chin on his knees at his chest. 

"Damn, that's rough." The man aid, Peter shrugged again.

"It's not too bad anymore. I was thirteen when my uncle died, and fourteen when my aunt did. I'm sixteen now, I'm better now then I was then." Peter said quietly. 

"You been at the orphanage since then?" He asked, Peter nodded. 

"Yeah, most families don't want to waste time fostering an older kid because they don't have that much time with them to adopt them," Peter said sadly. He pulled out his phone to look at the time, "I should get home, half an hour to curfew." Peter said, the man nodded. 

"I'll walk you home." He said, standing up with Peter who rose an eyebrow. 

"Do I get to know your name?" Peter asked with a smirk. 

"Clint Barton." He said, sticking out his hand for Peter to shake. 

"Peter Parker." He said, taking his hand.

They walked through queens for a while until Peter came to the large house, trying the door, but it was locked and none of the lights were on. 

"She must have changed curfew time. She doesn't let anyone in past curfew. Guess I'm crashing in the park." Peter said, Clint shook his head. 

"Nah, you can stay with me for the night." He said, Peter narrowed his eyes, there was something making him trust Clint, and if he was a bad guy he could take him down easily enough. When they rocked up to the Tower Peter's jaw dropped open. 

"You didn't tell me you were Hawkeye?!" Peter exclaimed when Clint dragged him into the elevator. 

"I thought you knew but didn't say anything," Clint said, amusement lacing his voice.

"I thought I recognised you but couldn't pick your face. I feel like an idiot now." Peter said, letting Clint drag him into the lounge room. 

"Don't. I usually wear a mask on the field. Not your fault. The couch folds out, I'll get you a pillow and some blankets." Clint said, rushing to the cupboard, Peter awkwardly sat on the couch, toeing off his shoes, clicking out his hearing aids. Clint saw this and gently placed the blankets down next to him. Peter nodded to him, signing goodnight before he promptly closed his eyes and fell asleep. Clint decided he should stay in the lounge room so no one murdered Peter in his sleep. 

Peter was letting out small snores, humming every now and again in his sleep. He looked like roadkill, one leg hanging over the couch just touching the floor, and the other draped over the back of the couch. Clint realised that Peter probably didn't have a proper matress. Peter would turn in his sleep every now and again, scrunching his face up and letting out a whine. After a couple of hours, he curled up on his side, hugging on of the pillows to his chest. Pretty soon Clint was falling asleep in his chair with a soft smile. 

"Clinton Francis Barton you explain right now why there is a small child sleeping on the couch." Was what Clint woke up to Natasha hissing at him. Clint gulped, blinking up at her. His eyes flickered to Peter who was still sleeping soundly on the couch, curling up in a small ball. His hearing aids were carefully placed on the coffee table, far enough away from him and Clint so that no one would knock them off. 

"We met in queens. He's deaf and an orphan. We talked for a couple of hours before he said he needed to get back home. It was late so I walked him home but the Caretaker locked him out so I said he could stay here." CLint rushed out, Natasha narrowed her eyes before straightening her back. She turned to look at Peter who pressed the pillow closer to his chest before letting out several loud puffs of air, making distressed noises. He hummed and then turned away from them, nuzzling his head into the pillow.

"He can stay for the moment, but only because he's cute." She said, sitting next to Clint on the couch. 

"I don't think he would like it if he knew you were calling him that," Clint said, watching as Peter turned onto his back, his chest rising and falling. The snoring started again. 

"How old is he?" She asked.

"Sixteen." He said, Natasha rose an eyebrow. 

"And he's still in an orphanage? No foster parents or anything?" She asked. 

"Well, I was hoping that Tony would let me start fostering him," Clint said quietly, Natasha turned to him sharply. 

"He doesn't like kids." SHe said bluntly, Clint shrugged. 

"He'll like this one. He's a genius, top grades, tons of extra curricular. Just alone." Clint said quietly. 

"He reminds me of you when we were younger." She said quietly, Clint hummed. 

"That's what worries me." Clint said quietly. Over the next few hours the team filtered into the room and rose an eyebrow at Peter sleeping on the couch. Clint and Natasha would just raise a finger to their lips, continuing to watch Peter sleep. Peter would turn every half hour, usually letting out puffs of air, small snores or other noises. When Tony walked into the lounge room he was about to burst until Natasha looked him in the eyes and ran a finger across her throat. Tony paled and just sat in the only other seat available. Joining the rest of the team in watching Peter sleeping. 

"I gotta admit he's kinda cute." Bucky said quietly. 

"That's what I said." Natasha responded. 

"Can someone please explain why there is a twelve-year-old sleeping on my couch?" Tony pleaded. 

"Sixteen." Clint said quickly. 

"Sorry what?" Tony asked. 

"He's sixteen." Clint said casually, sweating under the team's harsh gaze. 

"Okay, can someone please explain why there is a sixteen-year-old sleeping on my couch?" Tony said, Natasha motioned to Clint who sighed. 

"I met him last night on top of a building," Clint said. 

"Jesus was he trying to kill himself?" Sam said urgently, Clint's eyes widened. He shook his head fast. 

"NO! God no. We just talked for a couple of hours, then he said he needed to get home. It was dark so I decided to walk him home. He lives in an orphanage, he got back past curfew so he was locked out. Decided he could sleep here." Clint said, Tony narrowed his eyes. 

"And you didn't think to text me or something?" Tony asked. 

"Don't act like you would have responded." Clint said, he looked up at Tony, "Look Tones, he's been in the system since he was fourteen. We all know what happens to kids when they turn eighteen and have nowhere to go." 

"What are you trying to say?" Tony asked.

"I want to foster him. And if he wants eventually adopt him." Clint said quietly, Tony was about to respond when Peter slowly started falling off the couch, falling to the floor with a thump. He didn't wake up though, just stayed asleep, curling up on the floor. 

"Jesus he can sleep through anything." Bucky said. The room was silent for a moment.

"Ok, you can foster him. Just, please, make sure he bahaves." Tony said, pinching the bridge of his nose. Clint's eyes lit up.

"You will not regret this! Now to wake him up." CLint said, stepping around the coffee tables and looming over Peter's sleeping form. He frowned before poking Peter lightly, Peter just swatted him, making a gurgling sound before turning away from him. Clint frowned again before poking Peter harder. 

Peter's eye shot open, and he shot up off the ground, sitting straight-backed. He narrowed his eyes and raised a hand to sign to him. His eyes widened when he saw the Avengers were also in the room, he hurriedly snatched his hearing aids off of the coffee table, fumbling with them briefly before clicking them in. Wincing before turning them down. 

"Good morning to you too." Clint said, Peter stuck his tongue out at him.

"You're the one that poked me." Peter grumbled before blushing darkly, "Were, were you guys watching me sleep?" He said hesitantly. Clint shrugged and nodded, Peter hid his face in his hands, turning his hearing aids off. 

"No need to be embarrassed kid," Tony said, Clint started laughing loudly. 

"He can't hear you, he turned his aids off." He said, Peter made a huffing noise before his head shot up to look at Clint. He opened his mouth to speak before frowning and turning the hearing aids off. 

"I need to get back to the orphanage. Miss Birrell will kill me when she finds out I've been gone all day." Peter said sheepishly, ignoring the team in favour of hurriedly pulling on his worn-out converses, lacing them up. 

"Slow down Pete. I actually wanted to talk to you about that." Clint said, setting a hand on Peter's shoulder. Peter frowned and sat next to Clint on the couch, leaving his left shoe untied.

"Okay?" Peter said hesitantly, the last time he had this much attention on him was at his custody trial for the orphanage.

"So you said how you don't have any foster parents?" Clint asked, Peter rose an eyebrow and hesitantly nodded.

"Yeah, I'm too old now for foster parents to be interested," Peter said, his eyebrows knitting in confusion.

"Well, you see. I'm interested in fostering you." Clint said nervously. Peter's jaw dropped open and the tears started gathering in his eyes.

"Wait. You're serious? This isn't some sick joke?" Peter said, tears dribbling down his cheeks.

"Of course not, I would never do that. So what do you say?" Clint asked, Peter lunged across the couch to hug Clint around his shoulders, crying silently, "Why are you crying?" Clint asked softly, Peter sniffed.

"Shut up bird brain," Peter said softly, digging his face into the crease between Clint's shoulder and neck.

"So is that a yes?" Clint asked, Peter sniffled again.

"It's a yes."


	11. Speakerphone

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An-Peter gets a phone call from his caseworker that he's gonna be fostered

Peter honestly almost shit himself when his phone started ringing. Of course, it had to ring during his English class, couldn't ring during his maths class or his physics class. This was of course only a problem because Miss Bronx insisted you answer your phone on speakerphone as punishment. He paled when he realised it was his caseworker from Child Services.

"Miss this is really important that I take this call privately." Peter pleaded, holding his phone up to show the contact.

"Then they shouldn't have called you during my class. Speakerphone Parker." She said firmly, Peter sighed and pressed accept call.

"Hello Peter, how have you been?" Cindy said, Peter sighed.

"Pretty good Cindy, everything's been great at the orphanage, a couple of kids got adopted out last week," Peter said calmly, blushing under the attention.

"That's great Peter! I actually have some amazing news for you." She said excitedly, Peter rose an eyebrow.

"Actual good news or is this the kind of good news that's not actually good news?" Peter said nervously, he could hear Cindy's laugh through the phone.

"Actual good news. Peter, a couple has been accepted to foster you in the hope of adopting you." She said gently, Peter's jaw dropped open. He'd been in the system since he was five and he was being fostered for the first time. MJ reaches up a hand to rub his back, he stared open-mouthed at the phone, tears gathering in his eyes.

"Peter are you still there? Did I break you?" Cindy said, Peter blinked in surprise and cleared his throat.

"I'm here, I-I'm here. When, when do I meet them?" He asked quietly.

"They'll be by the orphanage this afternoon to pick up some of your things and get to know you. They've had their eye on you for a while now but the court order only just came in. We wanted to wait until they were accepted to tell you." Cindy said, Peter blinked again, a bolt of excitement flooding through him.

"This, this is crazy! What are they like?" Peter said, hurriedly wiping away the fallen tears.

"They're great Peter, lovely couple. They are fully aware of your history and were very anxious about whether you'll like them. They already have a room set up for you and everything, and Miss Cady at the orphanage hold them some of your interests so they've already put a couple of posters up and stocked their TV cabinet with movies you like." Cindy said, Peter nodded.

"So I meet them today?" Peter asked excitedly.

"Yes, they'll be at the orphanage this afternoon. They should be there after school." Cindy said, Peter was bouncing in his seat.

"Great! Will I need to give you a follow-up call afterwards?" Peter asked, fiddling with his open page.

"That would be lovely Peter. Have a wonderful day." Cindy said, Peter said a quick you too before hanging up. He had a wide smile on his face as he put his phone back in his pocket. When he looked back up at his class he blushed darkly.

"Um, congratulations Mr Parker." His teacher said awkwardly, Peter nodded, picking back up his pencil to write the notes.

———————————

Peter slammed open the door making a couple of the younger kids giggle, he blushed and quickly shut the door, putting his bag down on the floor. One of the little girls, Sarah, came running up to him, making grabbie hands at her. He smiled and immediately picked her up, spinning her around in a circle.

"You're a princess today?" He asked with a smile, she giggled and nodded vigorously. Once he put her down he pets her on the head.

"Miss Cady says she wants to see you in the kitchen," Sarah said, Peter nodded, shouldering his bag and running into the kitchen, he immediately went to Miss Cady and placed his hands on his shoulders.

"Please tell me Cindy was not joking when she said someone wants to foster me." Peter pleaded, Cady, shook her head.

"She wasn't Peter." She said with a smile, Peter could just about cry.

"Oh my god." He breathed, this was actually happening, "This, this is insane! I got the call in class and my teacher made me answer it on speakerphone and I thought she was just doing a check-in like she always does but then she was like I have some good news and then I was like actual good news or good news that's not good news. And then she told me and I started crying because this is amazing and so cool. Can you believe it, Mis Cady?!" He blurted out in one breath, Cady didn't look dazed by the word vomit.

"Peter you're a lovely boy, it was just a matter of time before someone else saw that. Now before you word vomit again you need to meet them." Cady said, her eyes flicking to the other side of the room, Peter paled.

"Like right now? Like right here? But what if they don't like me? My files cool and everything jut I can be really annoying and I don't want to be annoying or anything." Peter said, Cady placed both of her hands on his cheeks, sighing.

"Peter honey, turn around," Cady said, Peter rose an eyebrow and turned around. Standing on the other side of the kitchen on barstools were two men. Two men, he'd idolised since he was a kid, The Falcon and The White Wolf. Peter looked between the two men and Cady. Bucky and Sam looked highly amused while Cady had a soft smile on her face.

"Miss Cady I'm going to need you to pinch me," Peter said quietly, Cady complies, Peter winced before his eyes widened.

"This. Is. Insane." He said, Bucky and Sam broke into laughter, along with Cady.

"Well, I'll leave you three to get to know each other. You can take them up to your room, you need to start packing anyway." Cady said, walking out of the room. Peter shifted on his feet.

"Um well, my rooms in the attic so you'll have to walk up the stairs, it's this way," Peter said nervously, tugging on his backpack strap. Bucky and Sam nodded, standing up and following Peter.

"So how long have you been here?" Bucky asked, Peter shrugged. The little kids weren't in the lounge room anymore, they must have gone to their rooms.

"I was five when I came here, and I'm fifteen now, so ten years," Peter said with a shrug.

"Wow. Why didn't someone foster you?" Sam asked, Peter cringed.

"Well usually people want to foster younger kids who they can eventually adopt, but I was under review for a while because of my psyche evaluation. I wasn't really that stable, kept trying to hurt myself and stuff. But um, don't worry, I don't do that anymore. I see a therapist twice a week to help with stuff." Peter said nervously, leading them into the house. One of the little boys came running out of the sunroom and crashed into Peter's legs. Peter stumbled back before smiling and hauling him up into his arms, bouncing him. For a three-year-old he was heavy.

"Hey Champ, what's up?" Peter asked, stopping in his tracks. The boy looked up at him and tugged on his hair. Peter didn't wince, he was used to this.

"Yeah, I know bud my hairs getting long. I need a hair cut don't I?" Peter said, Champ screwed his face up.

"Cady said you were leaving." He said sadly, Peter smiled at him.

"Yeah I am bud, I'm getting fostered by a very nice couple," Peter said gently, pushing Champ's hair behind his ear.

"Will you come to see us?" The little boy asked, Peter couldn't help but laugh.

"Course Champ, I'll come visit. But maybe you'll get fostered one day and you'll leave too." Peter said, Champ nodded.

"Don't cut your hair. It's better long." Was all Champ said, clambering down Peter who frowned. Peter turned back to Sam and Bucky and blushed darkly.

"Sorry." He said, continuing walking. They followed him automatically.

"You're good with kids," Sam commented, Peter shrugged.

"I'm the oldest here. The second oldest is ten, I take care of them a lot, they think of me like an older brother. I help with homework and stuff, sometimes science projects too." Peter said, slowly climbing the stairs. Another little boy came crashing into him, Peter smiled quickly picked him up, putting him on his shoulders.

"What's up Danny?" He asked, Danny frowned.

"Lila's being mean, she said I was ugly," Danny said sadly, Peter couldn't help but smirk as he kept walking.

"Well I think you're handsome, don't listen to Lila she doesn't mean it," Peter said, Danny nodded firmly, but didn't ask to be put down.

"You wanna put the stairs down?" Peter asked, if Danny bouncing on his shoulders was anything to go by it was a yes. Danny firmly held the rope and tugged, Peter stepped back allowing the stairs to come down.

"Down you go, Danny, go play," Peter said, Danny nodded and ran off down the hallway. Peter waved Sam and Bucky over, motioning for them to go first. Peter followed them awkwardly shuffling around his room, tidying his things.

"Sorry it's a mess, I wasn't expecting someone over today," Peter said sheepishly, pushing a pile of folded clothes out of view, and shutting his draws and tidying his desk a little.

"Cool posters," Bucky commented, Peter blushed darkly. The slanted walls of the attic roof were covered in Avengers and StarWars posters, but mostly White Wolf and Falcon posters.

"So you're a fan? Why?" Sam asked, looking around Peter's room. Peter shrugged awkwardly.

"You guys are like the only queer superheroes ever, and the only queer role models I have in my life so, yeah." He said quietly, pulling his blanket up his bed so it was less messy. He usually didn't have visitors.

"Are you queer then?" Bucky asked, Peter nodded and sat awkwardly on his bed.

"Yep. I'm asexual." He said simply, Bucky nodded.

"Well it's good we don't have to worry about you getting someone pregnant," Sam commented good-naturedly, Peter rolled his eyes.

"You say that like I haven't heard that one before," Peter said with a grin.

"So like what's your romantic attraction?" Bucky asked, Peter shrugged.

"I feel it, I'm panromantic so yeah," Peter said, hoping they wouldn't ask the fated question.

"You have a partner?" Sam asked, Peter blushed darkly making Bucky and Sam chuckle.

"Perhaps." He said slowly.

"For another day. Anyway, what are you interested in? Other then StarWars I mean."


	12. Feild trip gone very wrong

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An-On a field trip Bruce shows Peter's class a DNA testing machine (No Spider-Man, just bio dad Tony angst)

"And here we have our DNA sequencing machine. We have every single person born within the last one hundred years in it. It can tell you a number of things, such as parents, blood type, present diseases. Can I have a volunteer?" Bruce said happily, Flash shoved Peter forward. Peter flipped him off and shoved his hair out of his face but raised his hand anyway. No one else was going to. Bruce beckoned him forward and took his arm, disinfecting it.

"We'll just do your parents, can you tell me their names and any other important information?" Bruce said, Peter blinked, reddening.

"Mary and Richard Parker. They're both dead." Peter said calmly, Flash snickered from the crowd and Peter went to lunge at him but Bruce had a firm grip on his arm. He huffed and stood still while Bruce injected the needle.

"Sorry to hear that, this should be easy then," Bruce said, taking the vial of blood and handing him a bandaid, Peter rose an eyebrow at it.

"An Avengers bandaid?" Peter said with a smirk, opening it and putting it on. Bruce shrugged and put the vial in the machine. A few minutes later a sheet of paper was printed out and Bruce made a show of pulling it out with a flourish. His eyes widened.

"Peter, you said that both of your parents are dead right?" Bruce said hesitantly, Peter's eyes widened as he nodded.

"And that to your knowledge they are Richard and Mary Parker?" Bruce asked, Peter shrugged.

"The caretaker at the orphanage never lets me see the birth certificate but that's what she always says," Peter said, worry lacing his voice. Bruce looked up at him, white in the face.

"Well, this machine is 99.9999% effective. Peter your father is alive and not who you think." Bruce said, watching is slow motion as Peter blinked at him several time before fainting, hitting the floor with a thump.

When he came to he blinked up at Ned who was standing over him. He blinked several times before sitting up and holding his head, "Ned I just had the weirdest dream. We went on the field trip to Stark Towers and Dr Banner did this DNA test on me and said that my dads alive or something." Peter mumbled, screwing his eyes shut and rubbing them with his knuckles under his glasses.

"Not a dream kid." Someone said next to him, he looked up at the person, his eyes widening slightly. Tony Stark was next to him, _Tony Stark._ His face was white as a ghost as he looked over Peter's results.

"Did I forget to take my meds again Ned?" Peter asked, Ned shook his head.

"Nope. You took them." Ned said, Peter nodded slowly.

"So apparently I'm not an orphan," Peter said quietly. Ned nodded, pulling Peter off of the ground under his armpits.

"Apparently not," Ned said, steadying Peter.

"Still taking drugs penis?" Flash teased, Peter's eyes burned, he forgot his predicament for a moment.

"I have PTSD you fucking asshole. I get messy when I start hallucinating." Peter said.

"Language Mr Parker." The teacher said, Peter's eyes widened, pointing to Flash.

"And you're gonna pretend you haven't heard some of the shit he's said to me?" Peter said, Flash smirked.

"That's cause I'm not Puny Penis Parker." He said, Peter pulled his arm out of Ned grasp to lung at Flash, Flash and his arms tangled for a moment before Ned got Peter off of Flash.

"You call me that one more time Eugene." Peter threatened, someone put their hand on Peter's shoulder, Peter craned his neck to see Tony Stark. He blinked for a moment.

"Calm down kid, we'll deal with it. Sorry teach and small children, tours over. I need to borrow Peter for a couple of hours. A message has already been sent to his guardian." Tony said firmly. The teacher nodded before ushering his class out of the room. Ned handed home his backpack, which Peter hugged to his chest.

"Sorry but what's going on?" Peter said hesitantly. Following Tony who was leading him to the private elevator.

"You and I need to have a talk." Tony said quietly, Peter rose an eyebrow, tucking his hair behind his ear. It was way too long now.

"Is this about starting a fight in your tower? Cause I wasn't just gonna stand there and take his shit," Peter said, Tony mumbled something before handing Peter the test results. Peter looked up at him confused before looking down at the sheet just as the doors opened. He stared open mouthed at the sheet for a moment before he started blinking rapidly.

"Ok, there is no way I remembered to take my medication." Peter breathed, there was no way he was Tony Stark's son.

"FRIDAY?" Tony asked.

"There is video footage of Peter taking his prescribed medication at 1:00, and dissipating traces of his morning dosage," FRIDAY said, Peter nodded. Clutching the sheet tighter.

"Tony who's the kid?" Came Steve's voice through the lounge room. Tony had a firm grip on Peter's shoulder, who was staring at the sheet in shock. He didn't exactly look like he belonged, beaten up sneakers, faded ripped jeans and a top big hoody, countless piercings covering his face and ears.

"My son apparently." Tony said solemnly, "you ok kid?" Peter looked up and blinked.

"I think I should sit down." He said quietly, Tony nodded, leading him to a couch and sitting next to him. The team looked at the two in confusion and curiosity.

"I don't want you fainting again like you did down in the lab," Tony said, patting his shoulder. Peter looked up at him his eyebrows knitted in confusion.

"How? When? What?" Peter said confusedly.

"You said your mum was Mary Parker? She was at a conference I went to, and I'm assuming you know how babies are made?" Tony said, Peter made a face but nodded.

"Yeah, I've had the talk. But like, why didn't you know about me, why didn't I know about you?" Peter asked. Tony shrugged.

"She didn't tell me but I found out later she was married, she must have passed baby you off as Richards child." Tony said simply, Peter nodded again.

"Okay. So what now?" He asked, pushing his hair behind his ear again.

"Well, who are you living with at the moment?" Tony asked hesitantly, Peter shrugged.

"I'm a ward of the state, I live in an orphanage," Peter said with another shrug.

"Why are you a ward of the state?" Tony asked. Peter sighed, pulling gout his packets of medication and putting them on the coffee table. Tony picked them up one by one, reading the small writing on the boxes, and some of the bottles.

"My medications too expensive," Peter said. Tony narrowed his eyes at the boxes.

"Seroquel, Abilify , Zoloft, Prozac and Tenex. That's a lot of medications." Tony said cautiously, Peter shrugged.

"I have a lot of problems." He said simply. Tony nodded and looked up.

"You said something about PTSD and hallucinations? Why?" Tony asked, putting the Tenex box back down on the table.

"Well, I was in the plane crash that Mary and Richard died in, and then the next month I watched my aunt and uncle get shot and bleed out. Trauma induced psychosis, and PTSD. I also have a pretty bad case of anxiety." Peter said, avoiding Tony's gaze.

"You don't call them mum and dad?" Tony asked, Peter shrugged.

"I don't really remember them well enough to call them mum and dad," Peter said. Tony hummed.

"So. You wanna be adopted by me?" Tony asked out of the blue, Peter's head shot up.

"What? Why?" Peter asked, Tony shrugged.

"Why not?" He asked, Peter looked down at his lap.

"I'm kind of a handful," Peter said, fiddling with the rips in his jeans.

"A handful how?" Tony asked.

"I get into a lot of fights, I have trouble sleeping, I have expensive medication, I have a lot of health conditions, and my hallucinations are really dangerous," Peter said, like he's said it a hundred times before.

"If that incident in the lab was anything to go by you don't start them. You get the sleep thing form me. I'm a billionaire, I don't need to worry about expensive medication. We can work with the health conditions. And what do you mean dangerous?" Tony listed off, Peter shrugged, tugging on the loose thread of his pants.

"They're terrifying, and they're real to me. I've broken things before, or I've hurt someone else, or I've hurt myself." Peter said, narrowing his eyes at his knees.

"If you break something then we fix it or get a new one of it. We can implement a protocol that alerts someone if you're starting to hallucinate so that you and everyone around here are safe." Tony said with a shrug, Peter made a face.

"How is everything so simple to you?" Peter said, his voice a mix of angry and incredulous.

"How is it not to you?" Tony countered.

"When you've been defined by your faults your entire life, and limited by them it makes it hard to be optimistic," Peter said quietly, looking back down at his knees. Tony sighed.

"Look kid, you aren't defined by your problems or things you can't change, you're defined by the things you choosee to do, with great power comes great responsibility." Tony said, Peter looked up at him. His face was hard and calculating.

"Okay. You can adopt me, but I warned you."


	13. 5+1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An-The five times Peter broke, and the one time someone was there to put him back together

1.

Peter didn't do much other than cry when May and Ben told him his parents weren't coming back. He walked into the lounge room holding two of his favourite teddies and ran over to May when he saw she was crying.

"Why are you crying, Aunty?" He asked urgently, tugging on her pant leg. She sniffed and took to tissue away from her eye and looked down at Peter, who made grabby hands. She smiled before picking him up with a sniffle.

"I'm feeling very sad Peter, someone very important to me is hurt." She said gently, Peter nodded, pushing one of his toys into her hands.

"Will Barry help?" He said with a smile, May smiled at him and took the toy, cuddling it to her chest.

"Yeah, Barry helps." She said softly, Peter smiled wide, moving the arms of his own teddy.

"Aunty, when are mummy and daddy coming back?" He asked quietly, May let out a choaled sob and liked Peter in the eyes.

"Mummy and daddy won't be coming back honey." She said softly, reaching a hand up to stroke his cheek in her hands.

"But why? Do they not love me anymore?" He asked, tears gathering in his eyes. May shook her head vigorously.

"Oh honey they loved you so much, but they got really really hurt and they went to sleep, and they won't wake up." She said, sniffing, Peter nodded, tears slipping down his face.

"Like grandma?" He asked softly, May nodded, wiping the tears away.

"Yeah Pete, like Grandma."

2.

Peter could hear the exact moment the shot went off in the small convenience store. Ben had finally found him after he ran out after a massive fight so he was dragging him to go food shopping. The bullet was headed for Peter, but Ben dove in front of him and took it, crumpling to the ground, blood soaking his pristine white shirt. Peter froze for a moment before falling onto his knees beside Ben, pulling him into his lap.

Peter panicked, pressing his hand onto the wound, making Ben groan loudly. Peter shushed him, keeping pressure on the wound. The blood was soaking his hands, making his skin wrinkly. They had been there for a half an hour already, the store clerk had called the police. Ben's eyes were starting to grow lidded and the light was fading. Peter held him closer.

"Ben you gotta stay awake. Please you gotta stay awake, for me, for me Peter, and, and May." Ben smiled and hummed, Peter frowned.

"Damnit Ben I will never forgive you if you close your eyes." Peter pleaded, tears crippling out of his eyes, splattering onto Ben's blood-soaked shirt.

"You always were a stubborn kid." Ben said, reaching up a hand to stroke Peter's cheek, smearing warm wet blood on his pale skin.

"Ben I'm so sorry, if I hadn't had run out you wouldn't have had to chase after me, and we wouldn't be here, you wouldn't have taken the bullet and-" Ben cut him off, pressing a finger to his lips. Peter could taste the metal weeping through his lips.

"Pete, you did nothing wrong. None of this was your fault." Ben said firmly, coughing up blood onto himself.

"You've always been so stupid Ben! Why would you take that bullet?!" Peter cried, Ben hummed.

"Because every day we are faced with choices, and it's our responsibility to choose the right ones, and we have the power to change the course of history. With great power comes great responsibility." Ben said, coughing before his eyes rolled into the back of his head, his hand falling into his lap.

"Ben? Ben! No, no, no, you can't go, you can't go. Ben, BEN, YOU CAN'T DIE, BEN YOU GOTTA WAkE UP!" Peter cried. He could vaguely remember screaming his voice hoarse until it was gone. He started at Ben with wide eyes, his lips pressed into a thin line. He could feel the tears gliding down his cheeks as the door slammed open and in ran the EMT's.

They tried to pull Ben off of him, but he just pulled him closer to his chest, crying harder as they tried to pull them apart. He was screaming and crying out as they pulled him out of his hands.

"Kid, he's dead, you gotta let him go." One of the EMT's said into his ear, pulling him up off the floor. Peter watched in defeat as they opened the body bag and out Ben in it. The EMT led Peter to the ambulance and tried to put a blanket around him.

"No, you gotta help him, he's not dead he's just, he's just sleeping." Peter cried, fighting pathetically with the person trying to wrap him in the blanket. The EMT finally got it around his shoulder and held it tightly, crouching down informs of him. He took his hands in his own, ignoring the sticky and dry blood.

"Kid he's gone. There's nothing we can do. You're gonna be ok, let's get you to the hospital." He said gently, Peter just looked down at his knees.

"I don't need a hospital." He protested weakly.

"Sorry kid but we can't tell who's blood who have on you, you might have been grazed." He said, pushing Peter onto the bed. The other EMT followed him into the ambulance, and crouched next to his partner.

"How old are you kid?" He asked gently, resting a hand on his knee.

"Thirteen." Peter whispered. The EMT nodded sadly.

"Was that guy your dad? Do you have anyone else we can call? Mum or Any other relatives?" He asked, Peter nodded weakly.

"He was my uncle, my mum and dad are dead. You can call my aunt," Peter paused to pull his phone out of his pocket, unlocking it for the EMT, "My emergency contact is my aunt May." He said softly. The EMT nodded and pressed her contact.

"Hello, May Parker? Yes he's fine, but I'm afraid Ben Parker isn't. Gunshot wound. Yes that would be good. You can meet us at the hospital."

3.

It was a normal day when he walked into the halls of midtown, opening his locker while humming a tune. His shoved his books in messily as he smiled, he had Chemistry with Brad and Ned today, that was always fun. When he closed his locker Ned was staring at him worriedly.

"Jesus dude, don't scare me like that," Peter exclaimed, holding his chest dramatically.

"Have you heard yet?" Ned asked urgently, Peter rose an amused eyebrow.

"Not even a hi, how was your weekend and you're already talking about gossip?" Peter said highly amused. Ned shook his head vigorously.

"This time it's about you." Ned said urgently, Peter's eyes widened.

"What did I do? Blow up something in the Chemistry labs again?" Peter said with a snort, Ned shook his head.

"Peter Brad told everyone." Ned said, avoiding Peter's eyes. Peter's breath hitches in his throat, holding his backpack straps tightly.

"Told everyone what?" Peter asked.

"You know what I'm talking about." Ned said quietly.

"Ned what did he tell everyone?" Peter said, more urgently this time.

"That you're gay." Ned said, Peter's eyes started watering. He turned in a circle in the hallway, everyone was pointing and laughing at him, whispering about him. He hadn't told May, he hadn't told Ned, he only told Brad because they were playing truth or dare. Brad kissed him when Peter told him he had a crush on him.

One of the boys stepped up to his and shoved him into his locker, pushing Ned away from them, holding him by his collar off the ground slightly.

"So Parker's a cock sucker?" He said, Peter was a freshman, but this guy was a senior. Even though he had super strength on his side he couldn't stop his knees shaking in fear and his muscles tending up. The guy was taller than him and bigger than him, he was towering over Peter and looking down at him.

"What?" Peter squeaked, the guy sneered, leaning into Oeters face, spotting a wad of saliva onto his face. Peter blinked, reaching up to try and wipe it off with his sleeve. The guy just pinned his arms to the locker by his wrists.

"Bet you liked that Parker. Always knew you were a fag." The guy sneered, Peter could feel the tears falling down his cheeks as he pressed his back against the lockers.

"I didn't, I, I don't understand," Peter said quietly, the guy laughed in his face.

"So you're denying it? You're such a fairy Parker. Brad told everyone, said you tried to get into his pants." The guy sneered, Peter cried out when he bent Peter's arm at a painful angle.

"It wasn't like that!" Peter shouted.

"Then what was it like?" The guy shouted back, pulling Peter off the lockers and throwing him to the floor. Peter curled up on his side as the guy started kicking his midsection, rolling him over and pinning him to the ground as he punched Peter's face repeatedly. Peter covered his face with his arms, wheezing and crying out every time someone kicked him. Some other kids joined in.

The next few hours were a blur, a teacher came into the hallway and pulled the guy off of him. He found out his name was Monty. He stayed on the floor curled up and until Ned rushed over and helped him up. He limped pathetically to the nurse's office, it all came crashing down on him. Brad has lied, and he'd taken away everything from Peter. No one would look him in the eye, and no one would touch him.

May said she couldn't come to the school to pick him up so he went home like normal. His face bruised up and his nose broken and reset. When he walked into the apartment he dropped his bag and walked through the apartment. He felt so dirty and angry. He sniffed as best he could with his nose, walking into the lounge room.

"Hey May, I got home alright." He said quietly, looking up to see none other than Tony Stake sitting next to his aunt May on the couch. May shot you form the couch and ran over to him.

"Jesus Peter the school said you are only a little hurt!" She exclaimed, Peter blinked as best he could with his swollen eye.

"It's nothing May. I'll be fine." He said quietly, he really didn't want to think about it or talk about it.

"Nothing my ass! You tell me right now what happened!" May said, forcing him to sit on the couch, Peter protested weakly. He just wanted to curl up into a ball and cry. He could already feel the tears in his eyes, he just wanted to forget it.

"May I'm fine! The schools dealing with it!" May frowned at his words.

"Like how they dealt with Flash ripping up your test paper? And how they dealt with Broonie dumping his milk of you? Like how they dealt with Camden pantsing you in the change rooms?" She demanded, Peter avoided her gaze. Peter fiddled with his hands in his lap.

"Better tell her kid, she looks she's gonna pop a blood vessel," Tony said from next to Peter, who couldn't fight the tears slipping down his cheeks. He sniffed as he hugged himself with his arms. May gasped, running up to hug him tightly. Peter hadn't cried since Ben died.

"Is it about Ben?" She asked quietly, Peter shook his head into her stomach. She sighed, running a hand through his hair.

"Everything was normal, I didn't even know he'd done it. Ned was at my locker and he asked me if I'd heard what Brad had told everyone." Peter stopped to screw his eyes shut, bringing his knees up to his arms.

"What did Brad tell everyone?" May asked quietly.

"That I'm gay," Peter said quietly, trying to imprint the feeling of May hugging him into his brain, she might never hug him again.

Oh Peter, baby. I'm so sorry. Pete, I love you no matter what, you're still my little boy, no matter who you love. And you never got to come out, Brad took that away from you." May said softly, Peter let out a sob, his whole body shaking.

"I was so scared." He whispered.

"Oh Peter. Did someone beat you up for it?" She asked gently, Peter nodded into her stomach.

"A guy in senior year, Monty. He pinned me against the lockers and spat in my face. He kept calling me things, and, and I was so scared May. He threw me to the floor and he started kicking me, some other kids joined in and, and," Peter cut himself off, so shut his mouth firmly. May shushed him, rubbing his back.

"It's ok Peter, let it out." She soothed, Peter clung to his shirt tightly, sobbing into May's stomach.

"I think I should go." Tony said quietly, May shook her head at him, holding Peter closer.

"Stay for dinner. You can talk to Peter about whatever you have to after."

4.

Peter cried out as he reached for his abandoned phone in the alleyway. The guys had left the alleyway after they threw him to the floor. He picked up his phone with shaky hands, wincing as the cracked glass permitted his skin and made him bleed more. His breathing was ragged as he unlocked his phone.

His finger paused above May's number, but he couldn't worry her. He grunted and rolled onto his side so he could use his phone better. He pressed Tony's contact, winging when the dial tone rang echoed in the alleyway.

"What's up kid? I thought you were out with Alex tonight?" Came Tony's voice, Peter groaned into the phone, wincing as he pressed it to his cheek.

"Uh, you there kid?" Came Tony's voice again, Peter whimpered into the phone, the words were on the tip of his tongue but he just couldn't get them out.

"Are you hurt Pete? Tap the phone twice if you are." Tony said urgently. Peter cried out when he moved his arm, slamming the bottom of his phone down on the ground twice. He could already hear the sound of the nanotech and Tony speaking behind the phone.

"Stay where you were kid, I'm already on my way. Can you stay awake for me?" Tony asked, Peter grunted into the phone as a response, Tony hummed.

"I'm bringing some of the team to help me find you, I'm patching your call into the coms," Tony said, Peter made another noise to say he understood.

"Is Alex with you?" Tony asked, Peter grunted, "Tap once for no, twice for yes," Tony said gently. Peter slamming the phone down on the ground again, crying out again.

"Were you attacked?" Came Steve's voice. Peter could feel the tears sliding down his cheeks as he slammed the phone down on the ground twice. He heard multiple intakes of breath, he counted five including Tony.

"Ok, we're almost there kid!" Tony said, Peter curling into a tighter ball as he heard the running footsteps. The call ended and he dropped his phone onto the floor, his hand going limp. He could hear the deafened slams of Tony's feet as he ran into the alleyway.

"Peter!" He shouted. Peter made a whimpering sound, holding his broken wrist to his chest. He felt someone rest a hand on his shoulder, rolling him over.

"Broken ribs?" Came Natasha's voice. Peter shook his head no as best he could. He couldn't see anything, everything was blurry with tears.

"He's safe time pick up!" Natasha shouted. He felt a pair of arms circling around his body, he cried out and squeezed his eyes shut firmly. The person cradled him to his chest, Peter quickly realised it was Bucky, the metal arm dig into his back uncomfortably but he didn't have the strength to protest.

"Need Tony." Peter slurred, his eyelids opening and closing rapidly. Bucky grunted as Peter pushed away from his chest.

"Kid you gotta stay still," Bucky said, Peter shook his head.

"No! I need Tony." He protested loudly.

"Stark get over here! He's gonna hurt himself if you don't carry him!" Bucky shouted, Peter heard a Tony's rushing over and getting handed over to him.

"Peter god, you're gonna be ok, we'll get you to the med-bay and you'll be fixed up." Tony rambled, Peter made a shushing noise.

"Alex ran when the guys came. Always knew he was an asshole." Peter muttered, smiling bitterly.

"Pete you need to stop talking." Tony said desperately.

"I feel like a freshman again. Alone and isolated. I don't wanna feel like that." Peter mumbles, spitting the blood out of his mouth.

"You'll be ok. You'll be ok."

5.

Peter was only in an arm cast now, but he could wiggle his fingers now. So he made a show of sticking his tongue out and wiggling his fingers. Tony laughed at the scene, Peter wasn't allowed in the lab at the moment, so Tony decided he'd sit with Peter and team in the living room.

"You look like those weird sea cucumbers." Clint cackled, holding his chest. Peter started laughing too, doubling over and clutching his stomach. He felt his phone start ringing in his pocket, he caught his breath as he answered the call.

"Peter Parker speaking, how can I help you?" He asked, avoiding Clint's gaze, who was trying to make him laugh.

"Hello Mr Parker I am calling you to inform you that your Aunt May has been in a fatal car crash and was pronounced dead at the sight." Peter drowned out the rest of the words, catching a few 'identify the body' 'funeral arrangements' 'I'm sorry Mr Parker' Peter's smile had fallen from his face, tears dribbling out of his eyes, he closed his eyes. Evening out his breathing.

"Yeah I'll be there within the hour, thank you for calling," Peter said, hanging up his phone, allowing his to slip out of his grasp. He put his head in his hands, his body shaking with the sudden sobs he let out of his mouth.

"Peter what happened?!" Tony said urgently, shaking Peter's shoulder. Peter peeked at him through his fingers.

"May's dead. They want me to identify the body." Peter whispered he felt the last small part of his heartbreaking inside him. May's dead, May's dead, May's dead, May's dead, his heart screamed. Tony took a shark intake of breath, turning back to stare at the walls with Peter.

"Shit kid I'm so sorry."

+1.

Peter was numb as the funeral, he didn't really know what to say. But he was the only Parker left. He stood up on the podium, pulling his speech towards himself. He swallowed and blinked away the purines, tightening his tie.

"May Parker was and is an extraordinary woman. Her death doesn't change that. She was everything I have always wanted to be, kind, caring, compassionate, funny, smart, empathetic, perfect. She taught me that the choices you make in," Peter paused, holding his face in his hands.

Tony quickly stood up from his seat and walked up to the podium, pulling Peter into a side hug. Peter turned his face so he couldn't see the crowd.

"Do you want to finish reading it?" Tony whispered, Peter shook his head.

"Can you read in for me?" Peter asked, Tony nodded, pulling away from Peter and stepping up to the podium.

"She taught me that the choices you make in life will always be remembered. She always said that what's the point of dying if you didn't leave a mark? She said to live a life worth remembering. And she lived a life worth remembering.

She stopped at nothing to help people, to help me most of all. Even though we weren't related by blood she took me in, she loved me and she cared for me. She provided for me and supported me. She helped me when I couldn't help myself, she helped me when no one else could.

She never tried to take over the role as my mother, she was always just my aunt May. And she was the greatest aunt there ever was, and I'll never ever forget her, or her voice, or her perfume, or her hugs. But something I've learnt is that you have to let go, and you have to be honest.

So Aunt May? I know you're listening, and I know you're here, I know you're watching over me.

I love you. And I'm letting you go. Goodbye Aunt May." Tony finished, wiping the tears off his face. Peter smiled tightly, stepping off the podium with Tony. The rest of the funeral passed by quickly, Peter let himself be pulled along to the wake, smiling and shaking peoples hands. People shared stories and grief. Peter just nodded along, and finally, once he got some time to himself he sat gravely in a seat, pulling his tie loose and unbuttoning his blazer. He put his head in his hands. His heart was racing and he was breathing funny.

He looked up when someone sat next to him, he blinked up at Tony who smiled at him, "How are you doing underoos?" He asked gently, Peter shrugged.

"Better now that you're here," Peter said quietly. Peter leaned into Tony's side, resting his head on his shoulder.

"Thank you for being here," Peter said softly. Tony nodded, rubbing a hand through Peter's hair.

"I'm always gonna be here. Always." Tony said, Peter nodded. Tony pointed to the team who were waving to him, all of the guys were in marching Black suits, and the girls were in there best black-dressed or skirts and blouses. Peter waved with a smile. They smiled and waved again.

"Should we go over?" Tony whispered, Peter rolled his eyes and snorted.

"Yeah, I could use more hugs."


	14. Pencils and rose petals

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An-Like Tony Peter can't be handed things and Tony notices

Of course, the team noticed when the shy innocent little Peter Parker shook his hand and curled his hands into fists whenever someone tried to hand him something. Making an excuse for why they shouldn't give it to him, or why he couldn't take it in his hands. But more then anyone else Tony noticed it. Because he was the same, only Peter and Pepper could hand him things, although that was only when Peter could hold things. Now that he thought about it the only things he'd ever seen Peter hold were his phone, a pen or pencil or utensils, or on the odd occasion tools. Any other time he would wince whenever he picked something up, or when he put gloves on, which was very inconvenient or his lack of thermoregulation. 

Tony also noticed on the odd occasion Peter's hand weren't curled up into fists they were riddled in scares. Hot white like lighting, and dark red and pink, skin indented and disfigured. Tony almost cried when he realized that he had never seen Peter in pain, even when he had a knife sticking out of his side like he was used to that pain. Peter barely ever used his hands for things, instead, he opted for using his elbows to open doors like his hands were wet after using the bathroom. Or closing doors and cupboard with his hips and feet. 

Peter was happy enough, but there were some worrying things that Tony could remember from his own childhood. Everyone noticed it, but not as much as Tony. The first time it happened it was in the lounge room, Peter had been doing his homework.

"Ah shit, I left my textbook in my backpack," Peter said, looking up at his backpack and narrowing his eyes at it, staring at it longingly, he was obviously very comfortable. Steve smirked and stood up and got it, walking back over to Peter with it. He didn't miss the flash of fear that was present in Peter's eyes for a moment. 

"Here, you look comfy," Steve said, gesturing with the backpack, Peter cringed. 

"Just, just put it there for me," Peter said nervously, Steve rose an eyebrow, that was almost two feet away from him.

"But I could put it next to you-" Steve stopped when Peter shook his head. 

"No, just put it there," Peter said firmly, Steve rose an eyebrow but complied. Peter waited for Steve to walk away more he moved forward on his knees and pulled it toward him. He hastily pulled his textbook out and opened it. Tony narrowed his eyes when he saw that when Peter traced the page his finger hovered over the page. 

The next time it happened Tony and Peter were in the lab fixing Mark 82, Bruce was lazily watching from the couch on the far side of the lab. Tony looked up and realised he needed a smaller sized screwdriver. 

"Can you pass me the smaller skew driver, Pete?" Tony asked, looking up when Peter pushed over the whole packet of screwdrivers by the tips of his fingers, "I only needed the smaller on Pete." Tony said, opening the packet. Peter turned his head, curling and uncurling his fingers. That was the first time Tony saw the scar and his mouth dropped open. Peter quickly curling his fingers again, hiding the scars, hurriedly turning away from Tony and going back to his own screwing. He then noticed that Peter always brought in his own tools, and always refused to use Tony's. 

"I don't like how they feel in my hands." He said quietly, Tony shrugged and nodded, picking up the small screwdriver. That was when it all clicked, and he wanted to make that hurt go away for Peter so bad, he wanted it more then he'd ever wanted anything in his whole life. 

When it happened next it was with Thor and Loki, they had arrived from Asgard bearing gifts. Loki had gotten a small blue and red rose for Peter, who smiled at him gratefully. When Loki thrust out his hand to give it to him he paled, taking a deep breath. 

"I um, I can't take it from you." He said quietly, looking down at the floor, Loki scoffed. 

"Nonsense young Peter, it was no trouble at all," Loki said, thrusting the flower forward again, Peter flinched violently. This time everyone noticed. 

"It's not that, I really appreciate it and I love it. But I can't physically take it from you. I can't hold things." He explained nervously. 

"Are your hands hurt? I am happy to heal them." Loki said worriedly, Peter shook his head. 

"No, I just, I can't have someone hand me things, or I can't hold certain things unless I'm used to it, or I can't hand people things," Peter said nervously. Loki rose an eyebrow and placed the rose down on the counter, summoning a piece of thin paper to wrap the flower in and pushed it toward Peter, who looked up at him. 

"Does that help?" Loki asked, Peter smiled a little, carefully picking up the rose.

"Thank you, it's beautiful." He said quietly, Loki smiled. 

"It was not a problem." He said. Loki nodded and floated toward Natasha for a custom dagger. The team watched as Peter stared at the rose before carefully wrapping the paper around the rose petals, touching them through the paper. No one mentioned it, but they were worried and scared for him. A few years back when the team had started living at the compound TOny had the same problem, and it was explained and solved, and they knew Peter was going through the same things. 

When it happened next it was an accident, Bucky was rushing to get the bubbling pasta out of the water and thrust the empty bowl into the nearest persons hands, which just so happened to be Peter. Peter panicked and quickly put the bowl on the counter next to him, accidentally crushing it. Bucky cringed before grabbing a new bowl and continuing what he was doing. Peter muttered sorry's and such as he quickly got the dustpan out form the cupboard, cleaning up the mess he'd made. The team made sure they didn't hand him things anymore. Peter was complicated, sometimes he was closed off and refused to share things, other times he would spill his guts.

But they all noticed that he never talked about things from before age eight. Of course, most of the team couldn't remember much from that time, but it wasn't like it was a blank space in their history. With Peter, it seemed like he didn't come into existence until age nine. Tony did some digging and frowned when FRIDAY stopped him. 

"I'm sorry Sir, but I cannot allow you access to this file." She said evenly, Tony blinked in surprise. 

"Why's that? Is it bugged or something?" Tony asked, FRIDAY was silent for a moment. 

"It is against my protocols to tell you, but as I am worried about Peter's wellbeing I am telling you. Peter has made it so no one in the compound can access his family history." FRIDAY said, TOny rose an eyebrow. 

"OK, is there a way around the protocol?" Tony asked, FRIDAY was silent for another moment. 

"Are you worried about Peter's personal wellbeing?" FRIDAY asked, TOny nodded.

"If I wasn't I wouldn't be trying to look into his past," Tony said like it was obvious. FRIDAY didn't say anything as the files started loading, along with the hundreds of news articles. 

_'Richard and Mary Parker: Tried and convicted of child abuse, die in plane crash not long after sentencing.'_

Tony's face lost all colour, and his eyes widened. Oh god, Peter was like him. He couldn't help but let out the hot wet tears slipping out of his eyes and down his cheeks. He needed to know everything.

The next day when Peter came to the tower the next day Tony sat next to him, he'd already told the team what he was going to do and warned them there might be some intense crying. Tony picked up one of the pencils strewn across the coffee table, grinning when Peter didn't spare a glance. Tony took the pencil Peter was holding and thrust the other pencil into his grip. Peter dropped it onto the table like it was fire. Tony picked the pencil back up and thurst it towards Peter who's eyes were widened in fear. 

"Take it, kid, I'm not gonna hurt you," Tony said gently, Peter shook his head.

"How do I know that?" Peter said cautiously, Tony swore he could hear a pin drop. He could feel his heart slowly splintering.

"Because I went through the same thing," Tony said quietly, opening his hands to show Peter the deep scars. Peter blinked down at his hand and then looked back up at his face.

"How did you?" Peter asked softly, Tony smiled bitterly.

"My father was a horrible man, you need to understand that. He always said that Stark's weren't weak and they didn't feel pain. If I am reading the signs right then you went through the same things I did." Tony always gently, Peter nodded, putting his hands flat on the table. Palms down against the cold table.

"What were the signs?" Peter asked, Tony sighed.

"I first noticed it when I met you, when I tried to hand you the pen and you had May take it and hand it to you. Nothing much happened after that, but then a couple of weeks ago when Steve tried to hand you your backpack and you made him put it two feet away from you. You waited until he sat back down to pull it towards you." Tony paused to look at Peter's face. Peter's face was blank and emotionless, but Tony could see the tears in his eyes.

"Then in the labs when I asked for the screwdriver you pushed the whole pack towards me with your fingertips, and you said you didn't like how they felt. Then I noticed you only held things that were room temperature or smooth, things that don't dig into tour skin. You have special pencils and pens too.

"Then with Loki and the flower, you said you couldn't take things or hold things, but it was ok once Loki wrapped the flower in tissue paper. You would touch the petals without pulling the tissue paper over them first. And then a few days ago when Bucky handed you the bowl you panicked and slammed it down on the counter." Tony said, Peter nodded blankly.

"When you say that you went through the same thing what do you think I went through?" Peter asked nervously.

"That when you were little, your parents made you take things, they'd be burning or really really cold, or sometimes glass. And they wouldn't let you put it down until you stopped crying, and they wouldn't stop doing it until you didn't react at all." Tony said, Peter nodded.

"They never stopped actually. They started doing it when I was three and didn't stop until my uncle Ben walked into the house." Peter said stiffly.

"Peter can I see the scars?" Tony asked, Peter shook his head fast, "I promise I'm not mad or angry, I just want to see." Peter looked up at him with a pained expression. He took him a sharp breath before flipping his hand over, offering them to Tony. Tony covered his mouth with his hand. Of course, he'd seen the scars, but not this close, not in this detail, not so real.

"Peter I'm so sorry," Tony whispered, Peter shook his head, squeezing his eyes shut.

"Not your fault," Peter said firmly.

"If I tell you what Howard did will you tell me what your parents did?" Tony asked, flipping his hands so his palms were facing up like Peter's. Peter looked him in the eyes before nodding.

"He used to make me put my hands out, and take what he was offering. If I refused he'd threaten to put it in my mouth. Sometimes it would be a piece of metal under a blowtorch or a melted piece of metal. The first time he did it I started crying, of course, I was five. I asked him if I could put it down, but he said that I didn't get to put it down until I stopped crying. So I stopped crying. Every time he would say that Stark's don't feel pain. Stark's don't cry." Tony said simply, tracing the scars. Peter nodded.

"It punishment for me. Whenever I did something wrong. But it was only if I touched things or took them without permission. I wasn't allowed to touch things at all. I hadn't picked up a pencil until I was nine when I started real school, they homeschooled me so they could control me." Peter said stiffly, stiff in his seat.

"Sometimes they would use knives and make me hold them in a fist. Or glass, or cooking utensils. They had a lab in the basement, they had all these chemicals. I hated it down there. They had all these acids, they soak a cloth in them, or coat something in them and make me hold them." Peter gulped, his Adam's apple bobbing. Tony nodded encouragingly for him to continue.

"When it stopped they said I might never get feeling back in my hands or be able to move then fully. But I did, but not fully." Peter presses a finger into one of the scars. He looked into Tony's eyes and then back down at the scar.

"This one was the day Ben found out. His hand slipped and he pressed the knife down. They always made me put my hands on a desk or a counter, so when Ben pushed him the knife pressed in." Peter said quietly, it was like his voice was devoid of emotion and feeling.

"Jesus Christ." Tony breathed, Peter nodded, a small smile on his face. Peter nodded.

"I'm ok now though. No flashbacks or association, I just can't hold things or take things from people yet. But I'm better. I'm almost sixteen and it doesn't rule my life anymore." Peter said with a smile.

"And that's great. Are you seeing anyone?" Tony asked, Peter nodded.

"I've been seeing a phycologist since I was nine. She knows I'm spiderman too, she helps a lot." Peter said, nodding his head.

"We'll get you through this Pete." Tony said, Peter sniffed letting the tears slip out of his eyes.

"I know." He said, he looked back up at Tony, "Can you hand me that pencil?" Tony rose an eyebrow as he picked up the pencil and lifted the pencil up, Peter gulped and looked him in the eyes as he took it.

"You'll be ok."


	15. Favourite Memories

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An-Tony messes up an experiment and the team see his happiest memories

"An experiment has gone wrong in Boss' lab, I urge you to go to his aid." FRIDAY's voice rang out. The team jumped up and bounded down to the lab, thanking the lord when the door slammed open. They were met with Tony unconscious on the lab floor.

"FRIDAY what went wrong?" Steve asked worriedly, rushing over to check Tony's pulse. It was rapid but he was still out cold.

"Boss was experimenting with mind-reading technology. You-May-perience-" FRIDAY's voice cut in and out making the team panic.

"FRIDAY what's going on?!" Bucky asked.

"You May experience mind reading qualities, specifically happy memories from Tony's past." She said, just as she finished the team were thrown into the lab, but it looked different. Things were out of place, it was messier and manly there was a teenage boy sitting next to Tony, poking him.

"Pay attention to me." He whined, Tony didn't say anything as he continued to screw something in. The boy stuck his bottom lip out in a pout.

"I'll cry if you don't pay attention to me." He said, tears gathering in his eyes.

"You wouldn't dare," Tony said, turning his head to look at him. The boys face hardened as the tears spilled out of his eyes. Tony looked panicked, he didn't know how to deal with a crying teenager. Tony panicked and hugged Peter around his neck. The tear immediately ceased and his face broke into a smile.

"Good enough attention for you kid?" Tony asked, Peter hummed and nodded.

"Yeah. This is good." Peter said quietly.

The scene changed to a school auditorium, Peter was trailing the same teenage boy around at the booths. They smiled when they realised they were at a science fair. The kid was clutching Tony's arm to his side, pulling him around.

"Can you believe I won first place, Mr Stark?!" He said excitedly, motioning to the small trophy in his other hand.

"Of course you won Pete, you built a damn robot dog. It even barks!" Tony said, nudging Peter's side.

"It wasn't that good, you should have seen the presentation Ned made!" Peter said sheepishly, his cheeks reddening.

"Shit it, Pete, you did amazing, take the win. I'm proud of you. And can it with the Mr Stark stuff." Tony said, reaching a hand up to ruffle Peter's hair. Peter whines loudly, his face splitting into a grin.

"Alright, Mr Tony," Peter said, Tony rolled his eyes and ruffled Peter's hair again.

"It's a start," Tony said.

The scene changed again to Peter and Tony in the lab again, they were bent over Mark 82, and they were modifying the repulsers. Tony put his screwdriver and down with a pained groan. Peter giggled at him and proded him with the screwdriver he was holding.

"Get back to it old man." Peter quipped. Tony narrowed his eyes and prodded him back with his own screwdriver. When Peter let out a small snort Tony's eyes widened.

"Oh my gods, Spider-Man is ticklish!" Tony shouted, Peter's face reddened.

"No, he's not!" Peter insisted, Tony smirked and prodded him again making Peter let out a short laugh.

"Oh, I think he is," Tony said, dropping the screwdriver to tackle Peter to the floor, pinning his legs and tickling his sides. Peter squirmed underneath him, screaming out laughs and swatting at Tony's chest.

"NO! STOP IT TONY!" Peter shouted between laughs. Tony smirked wider and only continued his attack. Peter squirmed harder and kicked his legs out, accidentally kicking the repulser that had fallen on the floor. The repulser shot a beam, cutting a hole through the wall. Tony paused his attack, and Peter looked up at the hole in the wall.

"We should clean that up before Pepper gets back shouldn't we?" Peter said quietly, Tony nodded.

"Yeah. But first Spider-Man needs a tickle!" Tony shouted, they couldn't help but smile at the two.

The next scene was Peter and Tony curls up together on the couch, watching the movie. Peter looked between the popcorn bowl and Tony, "Can you get the popcorn bowl?" He asked, Tony looked down at him and frowned.

"Why can't you get it?" Tony said, Peter stuck his bottom lip out in a pout.

"I'm comfy." He said, Tony rolled his eyes.

"Get it yourself you leach," Tony said, Peter groaned, digging further into Tony's side.

"But dad!" Peter protested, then stilling, pulling fully away from Tony and freezing.

"Mr Stark I'm so sorry I didn't, I didn't, m-mean to, and I'm really really sorry I can, I can go I'm really really sorry I made you uncomfortable and-" Peter rushed out, tugging on his collar. Tony shushed him by holding up a hand.

"We just got over that Mr Stark thing and now we're right back there?" Tony asked, clearly unimpressed. Peter blinked and reddened.

"Mr Stark I don't-" Tony scoffed and cut him off again.

"Nope, I will only respond to dad from here on out," Tony said firmly, Peter reddened further.

"Mr Stark-" Peter frowned when Tony stuck his fingers in his ears.

"La la la la, I can't hear you! Who is this Mr Stark you speak of?" He said loudly. Peter rolled his eyes and scoffed.

"Dad!" Peter shouted finally, Tony smirked and pulled his fingers out of his ears.

"There we go, now come cuddle with your dear old dad," Tony said, beckoning him over. Peter blushed before retaking his spot in Tony's side.

"Who's gonna get the popcorn though?" Peter said finally, Tony groaned, swatting Peter over the head.

The scene changed again to Christmas last year, when Tony said he couldn't make it. The team were suspicious but didn't mind. Pepper, Tony, Rhodey and Peter were sat around the lounge room. Peter was standing on top of the couch with his hands on his hips.

"I am not a baby." He said firmly, the other three couldn't help but laugh.

"Says the boy who's standing up on top of the couch looking like he's about to throw a tantrum." Pepper said, Peter frowned, dropping back down into the couch.

"You are so a baby," Tony said, Peter glared at him.

"I'll have you know I am sixteen, I am a big boy," Peter said firmly, Rhodey three his head back and laughed.

"You literally just called yourself a big boy, I would take that seriously," Rhodey said, Peter's eyes widened before he fell face down into the couch.

"It's Christmas! You aren't a supposed to be making fun of me." He said, muffled by the couch.

"Speaking of, you having a good time?" Pepper teased, Peter looked up and nodded.

"Yeah, thanks for inviting me, it was really hard when May said she wouldn't be able to take time off for today. It's been really great." Peter said with a wide smile, sitting up on the couch.

"It's no worry, Peter, you're a joy to be around," Pepper said, Peter smiled wider at the comment. Tony and Pepper shared a look.

"There's actually another reason we wanted you over," Tony said, avoiding Peter's eyes. Peter narrowed his eyes.

"Don't tell me you blew up the lab again," Peter said, narrowing his eyes.

"Again?" Pepper said warningly. Tony Parker slightly, waving a hand.

"A story for another day, we actually have something to give you," Tony said nervously, Peter narrowed his eyes.

"Don't tell me you made me another suit, the last one took me three months to figure out how to use." He said with a smirk, Rhodey couldn't help but laugh, Tony _had_ made him another suit but that was for later.

"No, actually it's a lot more important," Tony said, pulling a cm all box out from behind the couch. He handed it off to Peter, who took it in his hands hesitantly.

"Nothing gonna happen when I open it? No glitter or confetti?" Peter asked, eyebrow raised. Tony laughed nervously.

"Not this time," Tony said, Peter narrowed his eyes further.

"Mhm, mhm, you sure dad?" Peter asked, Tony's heart still hammered in his chest whenever Peter called him that.

"Jesus Peter just open the box," Tony said, Peter made a huffing noise, undoing the ribbon and pulling the lid off. Carefully pulling out the papers. Peter looked up confused.

"Is this where you tell me I'm fired?" He said nervously, Pepper and Tony shook their heads rapidly.

"Just, just read it. We already asked May and she's said it's fine." Tony said, Peter nodded, his eyes widening as he read on. Tears were slipping out of his eyes. The paper was crinkling in his hands as he looked up at Tony and Pepper.

"What? This isn't a joke?" He said breathlessly.

"Nope," Tony said, wringing his hands.

"Oh my god. You want to adopt me?" Peter breathed, looking back down at the paper. Tony and Pepper didn't expect him to just up from his seat and hug them around their necks.

"So is that a yes?" Pepper asked. Peter sniffed particularly hard.

"Of course it is." He said like it was obvious.

The team were pulled out of the memories and fell onto the floor. The boy from the memories was fiddling with his hands, "Are you guys ok? Tony got the frequency wrong so I fixed it up. But I don't think he should try that again." Peter said quietly, wringing his hands worriedly.

"You're, you're the boy in his memories?" Clint breathed, Peter blushed.

"Please don't tell me you saw that one time I had a breakdown cause we watched Bambi," Peter said pleadingly. Clint shook his head.

"No, they were all good memories, his favourite memories," Natasha said, Peter blushed again.

"I didn't know I was in his favourite memories, I usually just annoy him," Peter said irritably, Clint shook his head.

"No, you were in all of them." Bucky breathed. Peter blushed darker.

"Oh. That's unexpected." He said quietly. Tony shot up from the floor and rushed over to Peter.

"Peter wow, I love you so much," Tony said breathlessly, hugging him into a hug. Peter blinked servers times before wrapping his arms around Tony.

"I love you too? What's goin' on?" Peter said, Tony shrugged.

"Mind-reading technology didn't work, jumped into the memory cortex." Tony said, Peter nodded.

"I guessed that. By the way are you aware that the Avengers are in the room and apparently they saw your favourite memories and apparently they saw a lot of me." Peter said calmly, Tony shot back and held Peter at arm's length. He dropped his arms and turned around, finally seeing the team. He blinked several times.

"Say, team, what did you see?" Tony asked anxiously.

"The I'll cry if you don't pay attention to me, the school science fair, spiderman isn't ticklish and blowing a hole in the wall, the first time he called you dad and on Christmas with the adoption papers." Sam listed off, both Peter and Tony reddened immediately.

"Did I mention I have a son?" Tony asked, putting an arm around his shoulders.

"Well no, but this is recently I assume?" Wanda asked, Peter and Tony shrugged again.

"Well, it was last Christmas when Pepper and I adopted him," Tony said awkwardly, Peter smiled awkwardly.

"But that was almost a year ago," Bruce said. Tony and Peter nodded.

"Hey Pete why aren't you doing that assignment with Ned?" Tony asked, Peter reddening grinning sheepishly.

"That's actually what I was coming to talk to you about. I asked MJ out." Peter said, rocking on his heels. Tony's has dropped open.

"Oh my god. Oh my god. My son officially has a girlfriend. Oh my god." Tony shouted, Peter rolled his eyes.

"You are so lame," Peter said, unable to right the smile making its way onto his face.

"I am also the coolest dad ever. Sorry team but I gotta go give my son lady advice." Tony said, steering Peter to the door who protested.

"If how you wooed mum is my thing to go by I don't want your advice!" The team heard the faint bickering as they left the lab, left standing awkwardly.

"Is no one going to talk about how Tony Stark's son is spiderman?"


	16. 5+1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An-The five times Peter accidentally called Pepper mum, and the one time he meant it  
> (Peter was adopted by Tony after the death of May)

1.

The whole team including Pepper were sitting around the kitchen island, it was a Saturday morning so no one was doing anything, most of them weren't even dressed properly. Peter came rushing into the room, Tony and Pepper smiled when they saw his pyjamas, Pepper's Harry Potter pants and Tony's AC/DC shirt. His hair was messed up but he looked like he'd been awake for a couple of hours. He sat next to Pepper and turned to her, she rose an eyebrow as she turned towards him.

"Goodmorning?" She said, Peter nodded excitedly.

"Morning! I wanted to ask your permission for something." Peter said, Pepper narrowed her eyes.

"Ok, and why aren't you asking Tony?" Pepper asked, Peter scoffed lightly.

"Because we both know you're actually in control here, and that you would be the only one that would actually give me constructive criticism." Peter rusher out, Pepper hummed.

"I feel like you're trying to get onto my good side," Pepper said, Tony made several offending noises, Peter just offered Pepper a bright smile.

"Maybe, but anyway I was wondering if I could paint my ceiling." He said quickly, Pepper blinked several times.

"They were just painted honey." She said, Peter blinked and shook his head.

"Not like that, I mean like cooler. I want to paint it like a galaxy. I already have the tarps for the furniture and carpet in case it drips, and I have the tape so I can make straight lines and everything, and I even have the paintbrushes. I was just waiting for the go-ahead so I could get the paint." Peter rushed out, Pepper nodded in thought.

"Ok, why don't you want to paint your ceiling like a galaxy," Pepper asked, Peter reddened and looked down at the counter.

"When I was little I always used to have these glow in the dark stars that I had on my ceiling, we always wanted to paint my ceiling but the landlord said we weren't allowed. I just think it's really cool." He said sheepishly, Pepper couldn't help but smile.

"Ok, you can paint the ceiling. Will you need any help painting or getting the paint?" She asked, Peter looked up and shook his head no.

"Nope, there's this place near my school that sells the paint and everything, they even have glow in the dark stuff! I should need any help but MJ might come over to help with the base layer." Peter said, Pepper nodded her head.

"Do you know how to paint it?" She asked, Peter nodded.

"Of course! MJ and I did this whole space-themed mural in our science block last year," Peter paused when everyone looked shocked, "I didn't tell you guys? Well, it's really cool, we won an award and everything." Peter said with a small smile.

"Ok, go right ahead but tell us when you're gonna start painting," Pepper said, Peter nodded and launched forward to hug her.

"Thanks, mum! Love you!" He said as he ran out of the room, Pepper's mouth dropped open. She covered her mouth with her hand.

"Tony, did he just call me mum?" She asked, Tony nodded in a daze.

"He did." He whispered, Pepper nodded and wiped her eyes.

"Do you think he meant it?" She asked, Tony shrugged.

"He definitely meant it, but I don't think he realises he even said it."

2.

Pepper was currently sitting extremely still, Peter had managed to fall asleep on her and she was determined to not wake him up. She may just have a little soft spot for him. Tony looked at them from another couch and started snickering.

"You look like you don't know how to cuddle a teenager." He said, Pepper narrowed her eyes.

"That's because I don't. You and Peter cuddle all the time." Pepper said, Tony shrugged.

"Of you lean into the couch he'll fall into your lap and then curl around you," Tony said, Pepper narrowed her eyes again and did as he said. Peter hummed in his sleep, falling into her lap, turning to his right side was resting on his lap, his face pressed into her stomach.

"You ok Pep?" Tony asked with a knowing smile.

"I am blessed." She whispered, Tony nodded. Peter brought his knees up around Pepper, his arms coming up to wrap around her waist.

"That you are. You won't be able to get up for a couple of hours now though." Tony said, Pepper nodded and started running a hand through Peter's hair, who hummed and nuzzled into her lap.

"Love you, mummy." He mumbled, starting to snore quietly. Pepper froze and looked up at Tony.

"I am never going to get used to that." She said quietly. Tony nodded.

"You will. I did."

3.

"So. You like my dad right?" Peter asked innocently, Pepper looked up from her papers, her glass on the tips of her nose. She sighed before putting the stack of papers down.

"Yes. Although he is very complicated I do like him, very much." Pepper said, Peter nodded.

"Ok well, hypothetically if he was too nervous to ask you a really important question that could potentially change your relationship, would you want him to ask it?" Peter said, avoiding Peppers eyes. Her eyes widened, for Tony to be nervous enough that Peter went to her it wasn't a joke this time.

"That depends, did he hypothetically ask you to ask me about this?" She asked with a small smile.

"Hypothetically yes." He answered, Pepper hummed and nodded.

"Would he be hypothetically asking me to marry him?" Pepper mused, Peter blushed darkly.

"Hypothetically yes." He answered, Pepper nodded.

"Well then hypothetically I would say yes, but I would want to know what you would hypothetically think about it before I answered," Pepper said, Peter eyebrows knitted.

"What do you mean?" He asked, he had clearly abandoned the hypothetically.

"Well he's your dad, and I'm his partner, would you be comfortable with it? I don't want you to think you're obligated to call me something you don't want or to have to see me in a certain light." Pepper said, Peter was silent for a moment, clearly thinking hard.

"Well my dad really really loves you, it doesn't really matter what I think. But I already think of you as family, and I really care about you." Peter paused, Pepper could tell he was about to start rambling without care for who was in the room, "You like literally the best and you help my dad a lot, and you care about him which is really important to me. You've always stuck by his side even though he can be a handful sometimes, and even though I know he annoys you. And I think of you like a mum cause you take care of me, you love me and worry about me like I think a mum would. But I don't really know what having a mum is supposed to feel like because my biological mum died when I was really little.

"But I think that my relationship with you is what having a mum is supposed to feel like. And my dad thinks that too cause I talked to him about it, and he already says that we're a family. Although we're a really weird family of superiors and boss ass CEO's. And you yell at us a lot, but I know that's only cause you care about us, and we do things that are stupid a lot. I guess I like the idea of you being able to yell at dad even more than you already do because it's like different, he listens to me but not as much as you sometimes.

"And I guess that's what I'm trying to say is that I really like the idea of you and my dad being together for the rest of your lives because you make each other happy." Peter finished, his eyebrow still knitted together. He blinked several times, coming back to reality.

"I have no idea what I just said, but I hope it made sense," Peter said, Pepper smiled softly.

"Well, you can tell your dad that if he hypothetically asked me to marry him I would say yes." She said with a wide smile, Peter nodded rapidly.

"Okay! Don't, don't um don't think about it too much, it'll be a surprise. Thanks, Pepper!" Peter said while shuffling out of the room. Once he left Pepper put her head in her hands. Peter meant it all those times he accidentally called her mum, he actually loved her like that.

"No problem."

4.

The next time it happened Peter was studying for his midterms and looked like he was dead on his feet. He had basically claimed the coffee table with his palm card notes, notebooks, loose papers, high lighters and pens. Not to mention the stack of textbooks. He was muttering under his breath as wrote things down, highlighting things ever now and again. Pepper took pity and decided to make him a hot chocolate, after trying to get Tony to think about something other than inventions she was good at it.

She put the cut down on the free spot just an arms-length from Peter. The engagement ring glittered on her finger (A story for another day) as she put it down. Peter looked up and blinked several times, she smiled at him. He hummed and dropped his pen in favour of picking up to mug, wrapping his hands around it in content.

"Thanks, mum." He said quietly, taking a sip and putting it back down. Pepper, of course, knew he accidentally said it again, he was tired and concentrated, which meant he had no brain to mouth filter. She nodded and walked out of the room. She'd seen him do it many times with tony and then freak out when he finally realised what he'd said.

She didn't stop the smile growing on her face though.

5.

After Peter's midterms Pepper and he had decided to spend a full weekend in the lounge room. They both had stacks of books they were making their way through. That's one thing they appreciated about each other, they could sit in comfortable silence and work through massive amounts of books.

Peter had already gotten through ten books and was searching for new ones. He came back to the table and put six down in the table, his eyebrows knitted.

"Hey, mum do you know where Harry Potter and the-" he cut himself off, his eyes going wide and his mouth dropping open. His hands dropped to his side as he back up.

"Oh my god Pepper I am so sorry, I didn't, I didn't, I don't know where that came from oh my god I am so so sorry if I made you uncomfortable-" Pepper held up a hand to stop his ramble.

"Peter it's fine, you've been accidentally calling me mum for a while now, and if I'm honest I love it. I think of you as my son." Pepper said, she smiled when Peter blushed darkly.

"Does that mean if I purposefully called you mum that would be fine?" He asked hesitantly, Pepper rolled her eyes and nodded. Peter smiled shyly, narrowing his eyes at the book she was holding.

"You better finish the prisoner of Azkaban before I get up to it."

+1.

When Peter revealed that he had a girlfriend and he wanted Pepper and Tony to meet her they were both surprised but excited. Let's just say they had lots of blackmail on him, and they were definitely going to use it. Peter was rocking on his heels in the elevator while he held MJ's hand, she was lovely honestly, but it was important to his parents that they approved. MJ was soothing him lightly as Peter tried to explain his complicated relationship with his parents.

"Tony and I kind of had the father and son thing going for a couple of months before he adopted me. And I thought of Pepper as my mum for ages and apparently I kept accidentally calling her mum for ages before I realised. But it was really weird cause they only got like fully together after he adopted me to it was like my dad was getting into his first relationship as a single dad." Peter rushed out, MJ nodded along.

"I'm sure they're great." MJ said, Peter nodded nervously.

"I just hope they like you." He said as he stepped out of the elevator into the penthouse. Jackson smiled and waved at Tony and Pepper who were setting the table. They waved back and quickly stood in front of Peter and MJ.

"Um, this is Michelle, my girlfriend. And this is Pepper, my mum, and Tony, my dad." Peter said with a wide smile, Pepper's smile grew wider at his words.

"It's lovely to finally meet you, Peter won't stop talking about you," Pepper said while shaking her hand.


	17. You're right

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An-Peter hater it when his dads went on missions, what he hated more was when they were fighting

Peter easily caught the metal arm, the eyes of his mask narrowing, "So you're the guy my pops skipped town to save. Gotta day you look pretty cool." Peter said, the guy's eyes widened and flickered down to the arm.

"Oh yeah don't worry about that, I can kinda catch anything," Peter said, the guy blinked and nodded. Speaking of catching things when his father's shield came flying at him he caught it easily.

"What the fuck pops?" Peter asked, pressing a little to hard and crushing Bucky's metal hand. Bucky cried out and pulling his arm away. He watched as Peter three the shield into the ground, imbedding it into the ground.

"Who said you were allowed to be here?" Steve asked, this made Bucky frown deeply.

"Dad did," Peter said, swiping leg at Steve's legs, Bucky stared as they fought, like they'd done it a hundred times before.

"Well, your dad isn't exactly fully there right now," Steve said, Peter scoffed.

"At least he's actually in my life, at least he didn't abandon me," Peter said, landing a punch right on Steve's face.

"You dad wouldn't listen to me, I needed to leave or Bucky wouldn't be safe," Steve said, Peter scoffed again.

"That's only cause your shit at explaining things. If I'm honest I don't agree with the accords either, but if they'll keep you from doing this again when I don't give a damn." Peter said, landing another punch making Steve stumble.

"Do what exactly?" Steve asked, the eyes of the mask narrowed.

"Oh, I don't know, leave in the dead of light with no note, no phone number, no nothing. Don't you understand how much that hurt not only dad but me? You always said you'd be there for me and now you're not, now you don't care. You and dad saved me from that orphanage and now I feel like you don't want me anymore." Peter said, his voice was clogged with tears, Steve paused for only a moment.

"Pete I'm sorry I didn't mean to hurt you," Steve said, Peter scoffed again.

"Well then maybe you should have thought about it. I would have come with you, I would do anything for you, you know that." Peter said, landing another punch.

"You're not old enough to make that kind of decision," Steve said bluntly.

"Oh but I'm old enough to lose my parents because they're having a stupid fight and can't put their egos aside? I'm sixteen pops, you can't treat me like a baby anymore." Peter said angrily, punching Steve harder this time.

"You want help there cap?" Clint asked, Steve signalled no.

"Sorry but this fight is personal." He said, Peter leapt into the air and kicked Steve in the chest, bringing in to the floor.

"It's more than fucking personal! You left us! You left me! You were supposed to be there, you were supposed to be at my stupid competition, my stupid performance, and my stupid finalist performance. But you weren't fucking there!" Peters hits we're getting sloppy but Steve just lay there and took it.

"You left! Like you always do!" Peter shouted.

"It's my job!" Steve countered, Peter let out a scream, curse stupid super soldier thick skin.

"It's also your job to love me! You're my fucking dad!" Peter shouted, finally jumping off of Steve.

"Look at where we are! Our whole family has been torn apart you you don't care!" Peter said, throwing his arms up in the air, he pulled off his mask and threw it at Steve, he stumbled back with the impact.

"I just want to be normal, I want to come home and hug my parent's goodnight, but you're too busy saving the world to save me. Haven't you noticed anything? The, the, the sleepless nights, the fainting, the fucking self-harm for god's sake? Are you that incompetent?" Peter said pleadingly. Steve blinked several times.

"You're right," Steve said quietly.

"Damn right I am. Now you shove your ego up your fucking ass, you tell dad everything right this fucking second and you kiss and you make up. I will be on the fucking plane." Peter said, punching the spider embalm, revealing his clothes underneath. Team cap stared after the boy stomping off and climbing into Tony's plane. Steve sighed and waved them over in the direction of team Tony.

"Tony we need to talk." Steve said, Tony turned to him and narrowed his eyes under the mask. He took the mask off and stepped onto the ground.

"Peter got to you didn't he?" Tony asked, Steve nodded, "Don't worry he punched some sense into me too during sparing." Tony said, Steve couldn't help but smile.

"Well he gets the aggression things from me." Steve said, Tony tolled his eyes.

"And he gets the stubbornness from me." Tony said. Both sides were silent as tony and Steve stared at each other.

"Come on let's get the suits off, in the plane and back to the compound." Steve said, Tony nodded in agreement, already getting out of the suit.

When they all finally got into the plane Tony and Steve shared a glance as they looked at Peter, who had his headphones in and was staring out the window with an angry look on his face.

"Did you kiss yet?" Peter asked, turning his head.

"We talked," Tony said.

"And we made up," Steve said, Peter narrowed his eyes.

"I won't believe you until you kiss." He demanded, Steve sighed and pulled Tony toward him by his shirt, kissing him firmly. When they pulled apart both of them were bright red.

"There we go, was that so hard?" Peter demanded. Steve and Tony looked down and shook their heads no.

"Good. Now sit together like the good boys you are and think about what you've done wrong." Peter said firmly, pointing to the seats opposite him. The two sides watched incredulously as Steve and Tony did as they were told.

"We're sorry Peter." Tony said, Peter rose an eyebrow.

"And we'll make it up to you," Steve said, Peter pursed his lips and then nodded.

"You fuck this up and I won't forgive you." He said, tears coming to his eyes. Steve and Tony nodded.

"Now hug me before I start crying." Peter demanded, Steve and Tony nodded, pulling Peter toward them, hugging him between them tightly. When they pulled back Peter maneuvered himself so he was laid across Tony and Steve Laps.

"Now apologise to them for pulling them into this shit fight," Peter said, pointing to them. Steve and Tony shared another glance.

"We're sorry we brought you into another useless fight," Tony said.

"And we hope that you can forgive us and form one team." Steve said, Peter nodded. They all looked at each other and nodded in agreeance.

"You love embarrassing us," Tony said, Peter smiled up at him.

"Pay back." He said in a sing-song voice.

"Can someone please explain?" Bucky asked hesitantly.

"Don't look at me I have no idea what's going on either," Clint said. Steve motioned to Peter on his and Tony's lap.

"This is our son, Peter Benjamin Stark-Rogers," Steve said, Peter offered a wave to them, teams.

"And he's got his dads wrapped around his finger," Natasha said, pushing to the forward. Peter smiled wickedly at her.

"You know it, Aunty Tasha." He said.

"So Nat knows about him but no one else does?" Wanda asked, they all nodded.

"Except me, I'm his godfather." Rhodey said, raising a hand.

"Hey uncle Rhodes, didn't even know you were here," Peter said with a wide smile.

"Yeah, you were a little more concentrated on slapping some sense into your pops," Rhodey said with a smile, Peter shrugged dismissively, patting Steve's cheek.

"He's fine." Peter said. Steve grinned.

"Bucky's hand isn't." He said, Peter shot up so he was sitting up.

"Shit I am so so sorry, I didn't even realise I crushed it. I know how much that shit hurts, I can fix it if you want?" Peter offered. Bucky shrugged and nodded, "Coolio, I think dad leaves emergency tools somewhere." Peter said, standing up off Tony and Steve. He ventured into the captains quarters and ruffled through some of the cupboards.

"Ah-ha! I knew it." Peter said, coming back into the main compartment, "Sit there and put your arm out of the table. This might hurt." Peter said, already popping out the dents.

"So he got Tony's brain?" Clint asked with a grin.

"Nope, I take all credit for that. I'm adopted." Peter said, pulling out the tweezers to separate some of the damaged wires.

"Your awfully self aware," T'challa commented, Peter shrugged.

"He went snooping when he was ten and found the adoption papers," Tony said with a grin.

"You need to get better at hiding things." Peter said, his eyes narrowed in concentration, "Now can someone please start the plane? I have a regional singing competition to get to." Peter said, replacing some of the wires.

"FRIDAY you heard Peter, start the plane up," Tomy said, the engines promptly started up.

"You guys better be in the crowd or I will riot," Peter said, turning to Steve and Tony.

"Wouldn't miss it for the world," Steve said.

"Oh Peter hasn't told you, he got the main solo with MJ," Tony said, Steve blinked and then grinned at Peter who was blushing as he covered the wires up again.

"You're singing with your little girlfriend?" Steve teased, Peter opened and closed his mouth.

"She is not my girlfriend!"


	18. I'm gonna be late

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An-Peter gets caught up with Flash and is late, Tony, of course, comes to the rescue
> 
> TW-Blood, slurs, bullying

"Karen, can you tell Mr Stark I'm gonna be late to lab day?" Peter said into his watch. For once he was thankful Tony was overprotective of him.

"He says that that is fine but he is inquiring why you will be late," Karen said, Peter kept running to the subway station, he glanced back at Flash and his friends pushing past people to get to him.

"Uh, school stuff?" Peter said, he slipped into the subway station, his backpack thumping against his back. He ran full felt to the station he needed and swiped his card, running through the turn styles and into the already closing doors. He audibly cursed when Flash and a few of his friends slipped into the other end of the carriage. 

Flash and Peter made contact but didn't make to move towards each other in the crowded train. When the doors open they both rushed out of them. Peter knew Flash was hot on his heels, but he couldn't run any faster if he didn't want Flash getting suspicious. He was supposed to be Puny Penis Parker after all. Luckily the tower was pretty close so he didn't have to run too far. 

"Mr Stark is inquiring how close you are to the tower?" Karen said, Peter grunted, he could see the tower in the distance. 

"Uh, I can see the tower in the distance so ten minutes tops?" Peter said, glancing behind him, Flash was gaining on him. 

"You appear to be running form someone Peter, would you like me to patch Mr Stark in?" Karen said, Peter groaned. 

"No Karen, don't call Mr Stark I can deal with this." Pretty soon he was outside the tower, but he needed his security pass. He fumbled in his pockets for a moment, which was just long enough for Flash to get to him. He pulled Peter back by his backpack and threw him to the floor. 

"Calling Mr Stark," Karen said quietly. Peter groaned. Flash brought his leg up and stomped on Peter's wrist, Peter would never forget the crack he heard. Flash and his friends started kicking Peter in his ribs, and he had to admit it hurt like a bitch. 

"What the fuck did I do this time?" Peter struggled out, covering his face with his arms. 

"You show up to school with a brand new phone? Who'd you steal it from Penis? Or maybe you sucked someone off for it?" Flash said, Peter peeked at him through his arms, one of his wrists were dangerously wonky. 

"I told you, idiot, it was a gift," Peter said, Flash sneered, straddling Peter's hips with his legs, pulling Peter's arms off his face. 

"Sure Penis, you don't have any friends to give you gifts. You're just Puny Penis Parker, an orphan nobody." Flash said, delivering a punch on Peter's face. 

"How would you know Flash? It's not like you know what real friends are." Peter said, his nose gushing blood. Peter closed his eyes and waited for the next punch, but all he felt was Flash and his friends being pulled off him. Peter opened his eyes and blinked when he saw Tony holding Flash up with the nanotech arm. 

"What are you doing to my kid?" TOny seethed, Flash looked like he wished he could die. 

"Y-y-your what?" Flash said, Tony smirked. 

"My kid, now you're gonna walk away and you're never gonna touch him ever again, you know what you're never gonna even look at him again," Tony said, Flash nodded. Tony dropped him and pointed down the street. Flash picked himself up off the floor, yelling for his friends to follow him. Tony turned to Peter and pulled his up by his armpits. 

"Told Karen not to call you," Peter said, spitting blood out onto the concrete. 

"And that's why I created the baby monitor protocol," Tony said, pulling him into the building. 

"Don't need your help," Peter said, blinking rapidly. 

"Pete you're bleeding from so many places on your face that I don't know where the bloods coming from," Tony said bluntly, dragging Peter into the elevator.

"Just a bit of blood." Peter said. Tony scoffed. 

"Sure kid, let's get you to medical."Tony said, Peter squirmed. 

"You take me to medical and I'll never talk to you again," Peter said, Tony rolled his eyes. 

"Ok we'll take you to the common room but you have to let Bruce take a look at your rips and wrist. And you owe me an explanation." Tony said. 

"Fine, only cause I think it's broken and May will kill me if I don't fix it." Peter said in a daze. 

"Yeah, she'll kill me too," Tony said. Peter leant heavily on Tony as the elevator doors opened. Tony cringed as he dragged Peter into the lounge room, Peter hadn't met the team yet. Peter protested as Tony put him down. 

"I'm fine Mr Stark, just a little owie," Peter said, Tony rolled his eyes. 

"Pete, you just described a broken wrist, broken ribs and a messed up face as an owie. Sit Peter, or I'll call May." Tony said firmly, Peter pouted and flopped into the couch. 

"FRIDAY do a scan, and get Bruce here right now," Tony said, Peter huffed again. 

"Mr Parker has broken his radius and needs to have the bone reset before his healing takes over. He also has three broken ribs and two fractured ribs. He has a broken nose and the beginnings of a black eye, he has several already healing cuts on his face, only one will scar." FRIDAY said, Peter picked his head up from the couch. 

"Snitch." Peter breathed, Tony rolled his eyes. 

"Thank you FRIDAY, send the report to Bruce," Tony said, patting Peter's shoulder. 

"You want to explain what that was? That I pulled you out of?" Tony said, Peter made a whining noise. 

"Hell no," Peter said. 

"Peter I just pulled you out of a fight." Tony sighed, "You want to go to medical or not?" Peter panicked griping Tony's upper arm. 

"No hospitals." He breathed frantically. Tony shushed him, he wasn't really sure how to deal with a panicking teenager. 

"Okay, then you have to tell me what that was about," Tony said, Peter was silent for a moment. 

"It wasn't really a fight. He does that all the time, not that bad usually of course." Peter said quietly. 

"And you let him do it?" Tony seethed, Peter shrugged. 

"What am I supposed to do? Punch him back and give my identity away? Besides, it better me than someone who can't take it. Super healing and all that jazz." Peter said, staring up at the ceiling. 

"Peter sometimes it's ok to stand up for yourself too," Tony said gently, Peter waved a hand. 

"Last time I stood up for myself it didn't end well," Peter muttered, Tony was about to say something when Bruce rushed him into the room. 

"I came as soon as I heard, we need to get him to medical," Bruce said urgently, Peter gripped Tony's forearm again desperately. 

"No! No hospitals. Can't. Bad memories. Panic attack." He struggled out. Tony looked up at Bruce frantically. 

"Ok I might be able to set the bones but someone needs to hold him down while I reset them," Bruce said, the team looked scandalised. 

"No anesthetic?" Steve asked, Bruce shook his head. 

"Nothing works, metabolism." Bruce said, pointing to Peter, "I need you and Bucky, he's stronger than both of you, together you just might be able to hold him down." Steve and Bucky nodded, holding Peter down easily. Peter grabbed for Tony's hand, who rose an eyebrow. 

"Give me your hand, resetting bones hurts," Peter said, Tony complied.

"Just don't break it." He said, Peter snorted. 

"Can't make any promises," Peter said, wincing as Bruce held his arm. He reset it with a crack, Peter's body jolted and he cried out, tears spilling down his cheeks. 

"You mother fucker!" Peter shouted, Tony shushed him. 

"You're ok Pete, just let it out." Tony soothed, Peter let out a puff of air. 

"If someone tells me I'm ok one more fucking time I'm going to cut them." Peter seethed. Bruce snorted as he wrapped the arm. 

"You don't need a cast because of your healing but I need to do this tight so that you can't move it. You'll have a sling for at least two weeks." Bruce said, Peter winced and nodded. 

"Pete you're gonna need to take your shirt off," Tony said, Peter nodded, taking his hand back and tugging his shirt off, at some point his jacket had come off. 

"Need some help," Peter said, Tony sighed and pulled his shirt off for him. Peter sighed at he leant back into the couch. 

"Okay, you ever had your ribs reset?" Bruce asked, Peter shook his head, "Okay, well it's gonna hurt a lot more than the arm. I need you to sit still or I could seriously hurt you." Bruce said Peter nodded. Bruce took hold of the rib and winced. When he reset it Peter screamed, and squeezed Tony's hand, making him wince. Peter's breathing picked up and he eyes darted around the room. Tony could recognise that he was going to have a panic attack. 

"Peter, Pete, I need you to listen to my voice. You gotta stay calm or Brucie can't get you cleaned up." Tony said urgently, Peter nodded, squeezing his eyes shut. 

"Okay, I'm going to reset the next one Pete. Can you tell us about something that calms you down, or list something to distract you?" Bruce asked, taking hold of the ribs, Peter nodded. 

"Hydrogen." Peter struggled out, Tony rose an eyebrow, Bruce got ready to reset the rib, "Helium!" He shouted when it was reset, "Lithium!" He screamed, "Beryllium!" Tony couldn't help but smile, of course Peter would recite the Periodic table of Elements when he was in pain. 

"That's good Peter, just one more reset and two adjustments," Bruce said gently as he took hold of the next rib.

"Boron, Carbon, Nitrogen!" Peter shouted the last one as Bruce reset it, "You fucking asshole Bruce I swear to fucking god!" Peter shouted, Bruce smirked. 

"I know Pete, just keep reciting," Bruce said calmly. Peer screwed his eyes shut. 

"Oxygen, Fluorine, Neon, Sodium!" Peter let out another scream when the rib was reset, "You better hurry the fuck up before I break Tony's hand." He said, gritting his teeth. 

"He's not joking Bruce," Tony said, Bruce nodded, grabbing the ace bandages. 

"Magnesium!" Peter shouted as Bruce had the adjustments with the bandages, "Aluminum, Silicon, Phosphorus!" He shouted as Bruce wrapped the bandages. Peter breathed heavily, pulling his hand away from Tony to wipe his face. He looked disgusted when it came away with blood. 

"Ew," Peter said, Tony snorted. 

"Steve, can you get the first aid kit? We need some disinfectant and gauze, I didn't bring any with me." Bruce said, Steve nodded and rushed up for it. 

"Pretty nasty black eye," Bucky commented, Peter waved him off. 

"You should see the other guy." He said with a smirk, Tony rolled his eyes. 

"Yeah, he didn't have a hit on him at all. Speaking of you owe me an explanation." Tony said, Peter sighed. 

"We used to be friends. Stuff changed." Peter said, looking down at the bandaged arm. 

"What stuff changed?" Tony asked gently, eyeing Bruce who opened the first aid kit and pulled out the disinfectant wipes. 

"I came out," Peter said quietly. Bruce paused for a moment but brushed it off. The whole room was silent, Tony's eyes widened. He had no idea, and he wished he had. 

"Pete that's not an excuse for what he did," Tony said gently, taking and wipe from Bruce to wipe off the blood. His nose wasn't as swollen now but still needed resetting. 

"I'm gonna need to reset your nose, Pete," Bruce said, Peter side-eyed him. 

"If you even touch me Bruce I will riot." Peter aid, catching his wrist, Bruce raised his hands in surrender. 

"I can do it Brucie, I've set quite a lot of noses in my time," Tony said, taking the gauze pad from Bruce. 

"Flash and I used to be best friends, I was even the one that gave him his nickname," Peter said quietly, Tony frowned. 

"Pretty stupid nickname," Tony commented, Peter grinned.

"Yeah, it was. He was obsessed with that old comic book, we used to read them together, and collect them. His parents were friends with my aunt and uncle." Peter said, wincing when Tony reset his nose with a crunch. 

"What changed?" Tony asked quietly, Peter shrugged. 

"Middle school," Peter said with a grin, Tony snorted. 

"Yeah, middle school is rough for everyone," Tony said, Peter rolled his eyes. 

"I can only imagine the things Tony Stark went through in middle school," Peter said, Tony rolled his eyes. 

"Okay, what did Peter Parker go through in middle school?" Tony asked, taping the gauze to Peter's face, petting him on the cheek. 

"Hmm, lots of things. You know I used to be popular? Like actually popular. Can you imagine that Tony? Me, with more friends then I can count. But then Flash started picking on kids, and I told him to stop. That's how I met Ned, he was picking on Ned and I stood up for him. That was our first fight. We were twelve, so it was before my powers, and I broke his nose." Peter said. 

"Wow, you really changed. Can't imagine it, now you can barely talk to other kids your age. You practically had a panic attack when I made you talk to the other interns." Tony said, Peter snorted. 

"Can we put my shirt back on?" Peter said, blushing darkly, Tony snorted. 

"Yes, Peter we can put your shirt back on. Teenage boys and their body image." He said, Peter blushed darker. 

"Shut up." He said, snatching his shirt from Tony. He got it over one arm but couldn't get it over his other arm. Tony snorted and helped him pull it over his other arm. 

"There you go." Tony said, "Let's do the sling, I don't want you hurting yourself again." Tony said gently, Peter nodded. Peter was cooperative and leaned back into the couch. 

"So you wanna tell me the rest of the story?" Tony asked, Peter shrugged. 

"It was after Ben died, I was so messed up about not being able to tell him before he died that I came out as soon as I got back to school. Flash couldn't handle that his best friend was a faggot." Peter said with a shrug. Tony opened and closed his mouth several times. 

"Pete don't call yourself that." He said gently, Peter shrugged. 

"Well, it's true. I'm, I'm, I'm, a fucking fag, a, a, a, fairy a cocksucker. Maybe I do deserve it, maybe I deserve to be hurt." Peter cried, tears slipping down his cheeks again. 

"Oh god kid, you don't deserve hurt, you don't deserve to be called those things." Tony said gently, Peter shrugged again, wiping his face, "Are you ashamed of being Gay?" Tony asked, Peter was silent for a moment before he nodded. Tony's breath caught in his throat as he watched Peter shaking and crying. 

"Oh Peter, come here," Tony said, opening his arms for Peter, who fell into his arms. 

"I just, everyone says it's bad but I don't understand why," Peter said into his shoulder, Tony hummed. 

"It's not bad. Some people just don't understand, which makes them scared." Tony said, Peter nodded, "Does May know?" Tony asked, Peter nodded. 

"Yeah, she keeps trying to convince me to get a boyfriend." He said with a small smile. 

"I think I'm joining her efforts. We need to get you a boy." Tony said, Peter rolled his eyes and pulled away from Tony. 

"I'm seventeen, let me live my single teenage life," Peter said. Tony let out a loud laugh. 

"Nope, spill. You got a crush?" Tony aked, Peter rolled his eyes and turned away from Tony as best he could. 

"Not for you to know," Peter muttered, Tony narrowed his eyes. 

"Come on, tell me," Tony said, Peter shook his head. 

"Nope," Peter said firmly. 

"Is it cause the Avengers are here? Cause I'm sure they don't mind." Tony said, wiggling his eyes brows. Pete turned to glare at him. The team couldn't stifle their laughter. Peter rolled his eyes. 

"This is great, I'm meeting my childhood heroes and my dads asking me about my crush," Peter mumbled, then his eyes widened. Tony opened and closed his mouth several times. 

"Peter? Do you think of me as a father figure?" Tony asked, Peter glanced at him. 

"No, if anything I think of you as a bother figure." He said, TOny rose an eyebrow. 

"Hey, respect your father," Natasha said, Peter blinked at her before reddening. 

"Worst day ever," Peter said, the team laughed louder. The room quietened down after a moment and Tony spoke up. 

"I don't mind Pete," Tony said, Peter groaned.

"Do not give me pity, that makes this so much more embarrassing," Peter said, closing his eyes like he was trying to erase this from his memory. 

"Pete, I really don't mind. Didn't you hear what I said down on the street to that Flash kid?" Tony asked, Peter shrugged. 

"What are you doing to my kid?" Peter repeated Tony nodded. 

"Okay, and what do you think I meant by that?" Tony asked gently, Peter shrugged. 

"I dunno, I'm your intern and you're my mentor with the whole Spider-Man thing," Peter said nervously. Tony sighed, pinching the bridge on his nose. 

"No Pete, Underoos, Peter, Kid, I think of you like a son," Tony said quietly, he knew Peter heard it though. No one missed the sharp intake of breath Peter took in. 

"You what?" Peter said sharply, craning his head to look at Tony, who shrugged. 

"You heard me," Tony said firmly, Peter nodded. 

"Okay, cool, cool, cool, cool," Peter said, nodding his head.

"Yep. Cool." Tony said. 

"Oh my god, you two are as bad as each other. Hug already." Wanda said, Peter and Tony reddened. 

"I can't really move." Peter blurted out, Tony rolled his eyes and pulled Peter toward him so they were cuddling. 

"So. Who's the boy?" Tony asked, Peter groaned. 

"Oh my god, Tony!" Peter shouted, Tony smirked evilly. 

"Who is this Tony? My name is dad." Tony said, pulling Peter toward him again when he tried to squirm away. 

"You are insufferable," Peter said, Tony snorted. 

"Alright, buddy. You'll have to deal with me though, you're staying here tonight." Tony said, Peter whined. 

"But I was gonna do something with Ned tonight," Peter whined, Tony's eyes bugged out of his head. 

"Oh my god, it's Ned you're crushing on aren't you?" Tony asked, Peter blushed, hiding his face in his elbow. 

"No." He muttered, Tony laughed. 

"Sure, it's not like you talk about him all the time, spend all your time with him, and have all your classes with him." Tony teased, Peter groaned. 

"Curse you and your skills of deduction," Peter said, Tony laughed. 

"I could help you ask him out?" Tony asked, the team were laughing while they watched. 

"Absolutely not!"


	19. I like your style

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An-Peter's been homeschooled his entire life, and adjusting to school as a Stark is hard

Of course, this strange Peter Stark-Potts was always at the top of the leaderboard after every midterm and final. They, of course, had seen him on the news, and he was doing distance education with their school, which honestly was mindblowing. Everyone knew what he looked like, there were countless photos of the teenager on the news and on every popular gossip sight. He was a sophomore but was doing the same work as seniors, they wondered why he didn't just move up a few years.

"Are you sure you'll be fine honey?" Pepper asked worriedly, she was running a hand through his hair in the office while he tried to squirm away from her. 

"Yes mum, I'll be fine. Now please stop doing that with my hair, you're embarassing me." He seethed, Pepper rolled her eyes and pulled her hand away from his hair. He placed her hands on his shoulders. 

"I just can't believe it, my little boy is finally going to school." She said, Peter made a disgusted face. 

"You are never allowed to call me that again." He said, she rolled her eyes. Tony joined them and ruffled Peter's hair, making him squeak. 

"Alright Underoos, you're all set, you've got a tour guide coming in a couple of minutes, they'll have your schedule, your locker number and combination and they'll stick by you for the day," Tony said, Peter nodded with a smile, not bothering to fix his hair. 

"Honey please let me fix your hair." Pepper pleaded, Peter narrowed his eyes and fixed it himself. 

"I'm fine, I can do it myself," Peter said firmly. Pepper nodded firmly. 

"You've got everything?" Pepper asked, Peter nodded with a wide smile. 

"Your laptop?" Tony asked.

"Yes," Peter said. 

"Notebook for notetaking until you get your schedule?" Pepper asked. 

"Yes." Peter asked. 

"Pencil case?" Tony asked. 

"Yes," Peter said firmly, his irritation bleeding into his voice. 

"Your lunch?" Pepper asked. 

"Yes mum." Peter said. 

"Umbrella?" Tony asked. 

"Yes." Peter said firmly. 

"Your spare pair of glasses?" Pepper asked. 

" _Yes_ , I have everything. I'll be fine, how bad can highschool be?" Peter asked with an eyebrow raised. Pepper and Tony shared a glance. 

"Excuse me? Mr and Misses Stark-Potts? Peter's tour guide is ready for him." The receptionist said. Pepper immediately hugged Peter hard. Peter wheezed and tapped her shoulder. 

"Mum, need to breathe." He struggled out, Pepper pulled back from him and smiled, tears gathering in her eyes. 

"Oh, mum please don't cry, school finishes at 3:15, and I'll be home by 4:00." He said, Pepper nodded and patted his shoulder. Tony hugged him stiffly, Peter winced when he saw they were both crying. 

"Have a good day honey." Pepper said. 

"You too." He said with a smile. 

"Remember Happy's picking you up this afternoon," Tony said, Peter nodded and waved to them, following the receptionist out of the office. He sighed in relief when he couldn't see them anymore. She led him to a corridor just outside the office and waved over another boy his age. 

"Peter, this is Eugene Thompson, he'll be showing you around for the day." SHe said, Peter nodded and stuck out his hand. 

"Peter Stark-Potts, although you probably already know that." He said with a wide smile, Eugene nodded and took his hand. 

"Eugene Thompson, but you can call m Flash." He said with a toothy grin. Peter smiled back. 

"If you get lost or separated from Eugene you can come to the office and someone will help you." The receptionist said. Peter nodded.

"Here's your schedule, you can log into it online so you won't need to keep a paper copy, but this one is good while you get used to it." Flash said, handing him a piece of paper, Peter nodded a took it. 

"Thanks, I already memorised the one the school sent to me so I'm good." Peter said, folding it up and putting it into his pocket. His mum had made him dress nice for the first day, cuffed jeans, collared T'shirt, and dark blue jumper. He pushed up his glasses nervously, he wasn't really sure how to talk to kids his age. 

"Cool, I'll take you to your locker," Flash said, Peter nodded and followed him. Everyone was staring at them as they went with made Peter nervous. 

"I am never going to get used to people staring at me." Peter mumbled, Flash nodded. 

"But you've been famous since you were a baby." He said, Peter shrugged. 

"Maybe, but my parents are kind of overprotective, so I don't really know how to talk to people or anything. I don't really know how to handle the, your mum and dad are famous, and your dad's a superhero." Peter said sarcastically. 

"Having a rich mummy and daddy must pay off somehow though?" Flash seethed, Peter stopped in his tracks, making Flash stop him. 

"Excuse me?" Peter said, straightening his back, pressing his lips into a thin line. Flash turned to him with a sneer. 

"You heard me, you're just daddy's little boy. And your mum's just a gold digger." Flash said, Peter narrowed his eyes and pressed his lips into a thin line.

"My mother is the finest woman I have ever known, she has worked hard for her position among a world ruled by men. Although my father is at times overbearing and insistent on aiding me, I am very competent. I worked hard to get the results I needed to get into midtown, but maybe you don't know what hard work is Eugene." Peter said. Flash blinked several times. 

"Oh, you've got it coming Stark." Flash said venomously, Peter just grinned at him, snatching the slip of paper form Flash's hands. 

"Actually it's Stark-Potts, _Eugene_." Peter said with a wide smile, looking down at the paper. He already knew the layout of the school from his orientation. 

"Don't get smart with me Stark!" Flash shouted, Peer blinked and his grin spread. 

"I already told you, it's Stark-Potts. Now if you don't mind I have a locker to find." Peter said, pushing past him. 

"You won't get far without me Stark! You need me if you want to survive!" Flash shouted, Peter turned his head and walked backwards. 

"I think I'll do just fine Eugene." Peter said. Peter easily made his way to his locker and put in the code, opening it easily. He put his excess books into the locker and closed it with a smile. 

"I like your style." A girl said from behind him, Peter turned and blinked at her. 

"Sorry?" He said confusedly, she shrugged. 

"You don't take Eugene's shit, mad respect man." She said, Peter nodded, closing his locker with a bright smile. 

"Thanks! No one talks about my mum and dad like that, that's all." Peter said, holding the strap of his bag. She nodded and offered him her hand. 

"Michelle Jones, but everyone called me MJ." Peter smiled as he took her hand. 

"Peter Stark-Potts, I don't really have a nickname." He said awkwardly, "Well unless you count the embarrassing ones my family give me." He said with a blush, the girl smirked. 

"Oh this I want to hear, what nicknames do your big shot family give you." She asked, throwing an arm around his shoulder. She was much taller than him but he could already feel the butterflies in his stomach. 

"My mum always calls me Petie-Pie, and it is literally the worst. My dad calls me Underoos, and my aunts and uncles call me mini-boss." Peter said, the girl snorted in laughter. 

"That is gold dude, I am never letting you get away from that." She said, Peter groaned. 

"Great, half an hour into high school and I already want to leave." He joked, the girl snorted. 

"Good idea."

\------------------------

The day had gone pretty smoothly, Peter had art his last class, and the teacher let them paint, so he was pretty happy. MJ did art too, but she was in a different class. Peter still hadn't made any friends, his stint with that Flash kid meant all the popular kids hated him, and none of the kids wanted to come near him. So that made the school cafeteria a fun place. It was way too loud, louder than when all the Avengers at down for dinner. He didn't really know where to sit, and it looked like no one wanted him to sit with them. 

So that left him awkwardly standing in the doorway to the cafeteria, he was suddenly regretting his mum packing his lunch. He was clutching his notebook to his chest, he didn't have time to put it in his bag when the bell went so it was a lifeline now. Suddenly the MJ girl stood up on her seat. 

"Peter Benjamin-Edward Stark-Potts! Get your ass over here!" She shouted, this silenced the cafeteria for a moment. Peter blushed as he rushed over to the table. He got to the end and awkwardly stood there. 

"Are you gonna sit or?" She asked, Peter blinked several times before sitting opposite her, there were a couple of other kids at the table who waved. 

"You looked like you were going to burst into tears." MJ said, Peter blushed darker. 

"I've never been in a cafeteria before." He defended weakly, MJ rolled her eyes. 

"Obviously." She said, she eyed his notebook, "You do art?" She asked, Peter nodded shyly. 

"Yeah, I brought my notebook from home, but the teacher said I'd need a new notebook for the class." He said awkwardly, MJ stuck out her hand for it, Peter rose an eyebrow as he gave it to her. She flipped through it and made several noises. She stopped on one page and turned the book to show the table. It was a graphite drawing he'd done of his mum laughing. 

"You're a mummies boy?" She said with a smirk, Peter huffed and snatched back his book. 

"I have no shame in that." He said blunty, MJ raised her hands in defeat. 

"So, I think I am obligated to introduce you to other kids, cause you act like you're an alien from outer space." MJ said, Peter blinked and frowned. 

"Not my fault the only kids m age I interact with are my cousins." He said, MJ rolled her eyes and pointed to every person at the table and introduced them. 

"Betty, Cindy, Brad, Abe, Seymour, Ned." She said, they all mumbled hello's, Peter waved awkwardly. 

"So, what are your interests?" Cindy asked, Peter shrugged. 

"Star Wars, Star Trek, Star Gate, DC, art?" He said hesitantly, MJ burst into laughter.

"Oh my god, you're a massive nerd." MJ said, Peter frowned.

"You act like my dad doesn't say that every day." He said, this only made MJ laugh harder. 

"Bet your dad loves your DC interest." Betty said, Peter snorted. 

"He despises it. When I was little he used to try and get me to get Iron Man toys instead of Bat-Man toys." He said with a wide smile, this made the table laugh. 

"So what's it like having superheroes for a family?" Abe asked after a moment of silence. Peter shrugged, opening his bag and pulling out his lunch box. 

"I dunno, they've always been my family so it's not weird to me. I guess it's like a really big family like I have more aunts and uncles then I can count. Dinner's really noisy when everyone's there." Peter said with a shrug. He smirked lightly at his vintage Avengers lunch box, he'd gotten it as a joke but now he loved it. 

"Where the hell did you even get a vintage Avengers lunch box?!" Ned exclaimed incredulously, Peter grinned. 

"My uncle Steve, he had a bunch from when the Avengers first started having merch made." He said evenly. He frowned at his lunch, his mum was too organised for her own good. 

"Wow, do you mean Captain America?" Ned asked. Peter nodded like it was obvious. 

"I've known him since I was a baby, he's practically another dad." Peter shrugged. Ned nodded in a daze. 

"Don't tell me your mum made your lunch." MJ groaned, Peter blushed darkly again. 

"And if she did?"

\-------------------

Peter, Ned and MJ had their last three classes after lunch together, so they became fast friends. Peter was enjoying making fun of Flash for being stuck up while walking out of the school with Ned and MJ, he didn't even notice the crowd of kids around the black motorbike. Peter rolled his eyes when he realised his uncle Bucky ad shown up to pick him up. 

"I gotta go, Bucky's practically being mauled by the Junior girls." He muttered, Ned and MJ laughed as they watched him push through the crowd of high schoolers. A couple of people gave him jealous glares when he stood in front of Bucky with his hands on his hips.

"What did I tell you about embarrassing me?" Peter questioned, Bucky shrugged, stepping forward to ruffle Peter's hair. 

"Not to do it." Bucky said, snickering when Peter whined. Bucky smirked as he plucked Peter's glasses from his face. Peter squinted at him and grabbed for them in the open air. 

"You are such an asshole." Peter seethed, Bucky chuckled, throwing an arm around Peter's shoulders. 

"You know it." Buck said, shoving Peter's glasses back onto his face. Peter blinked. 

"See you Peter!" He heard Ned scream. By the now the crowd had thinned and Peter grinned as he waved to Ned. 

"Have fun Petie-Pie!" MJ shouted, Peter blushed darkly and slipped her off. 

"I told you not to call me that!" He shouted, she just grinned. 

"Tell your mum that first!" She shouted back before hopping into a car. Peter sighed and turned back to Bucky who looked unimpressed. 

"It's your first day and you already have a crush?" He said, clearly exasperated. Peter swatted him and pushed him toward the bike. 

"I do not. Now step on it old man, I have homework to do." Peter said, Bucky rolled his eyes. 

"You have any enemies yet?" Bucky asked, tossing Peter his helmet. 

"Maybe."


	20. Memories pt1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An-After being kidnapped and tortured Peter has memory lose
> 
> Follow Peter and his family getting his memoirs back
> 
> This will be an extremely long-winded one-shot series, I will post other one-shots in between, but this ones gonna take a while (Never ended up being finished, do not intend to do so)

Peter stared at the man in front of him. His heart tugged painfully, he opened and closed his mouth but he didn't know what to say. He knew he was supposed to love this man, but didn't know why. He couldn't remember him. He was wearing a crisp grey suit, his hair cropped close to his head, his goatee manicured, his sunglasses held tightly in his hands. Peter didn't know what to say. He wasn't even sure that was really his name. But that's what everyone was calling him. He wasn't even sure if he remembered how to talk.

He shut his mouth firmly and looked down at his lap, fiddling with the bandages covering his fingers. His whole body was covered in them, he didn't like the scars. He'd raided the drawer next to his bed for the bandages as the man in the coat and glasses watched him. He wouldn't let him touch him, he just wanted to cover the scars. They made him scared, angry. He didn't like those feelings. 

Peter watched out of the corner of his eyes as the man stood up with a pained sigh and left the room. Peter was alone again. He wasn't sure if he liked being alone. In some ways it was good, no one could hurt him if he was alone, but at the same time, he didn't like the silence, and the overwhelming loneliness. It made him feel like he couldn't breathe anymore.

He pressed the call button frantically, the man with a wire-rimmed glasses came rushing in. Peter pressed himself against the wall and cried out, he didn't like it when people ran at him.

"Are you ok? Are you hurt?" Bruce asked, Peter shook his head.

"Alone." He said brokenly. He made up his mind, he didn't like being alone.

"Do you want someone to sit in here with you?" He asked gently, Peter was silent as he nodded.

"Do you want Tony? The man who came in here earlier?" The man asked. Peter shook his head. He couldn't describe the feeling the man made him feel like he wanted to crawl into his arms and never leave. That feeling scared him.

"Okay, I can get Bucky, he might be able to help you." The man said softly, Peter stared dumbly after him as he stood just outside the doorway and beckoned someone in. A man with brown shoulder-length hair walked in. He was throwing something up and down, Peter recognised it as some kind of fruit. The man sat next to him, Peter narrowed his eyes at him.

"Bruce said you didn't want to be alone?" Bucky said, Peter shrugged, suddenly feeling embarrassed.

"It's nothing to be embarrassed about, I understand. When I lost my memories I didn't want to be alone either." He said softly, Peter looked up at him, his eyes flickering to the metal arm. He looked between the mans face and the arm. The man smiled before reaching to pull the arm off, Peter's jaw dropped open. He pulled back the sheets and pointed to his missing legs. Bucky nodded sadly.

"Yeah, I know kid. Bruce told us you lost them." Bucky said gently, Peter rose an eyebrow but nodded. He leaned back into the pillows. The man suddenly handed him the fruit. Peter looked down at it confused.

"It's a plum, eat it, they help with memory loss." He said, Peter blinked, a sharp pain shot through his head. He dropped the plum to the ground, his eyes widening. 

_"Dude you have a metal arm?!"_

_"You have to let me make you a new arm!"_

_"Mr Bucky! I got you some new magnets for your arm!"_

_"You're so old! I can't believe you've never listened to tainted love!"_

_"Oh my god you have to let me braid your hair!"_

_"Why do you have a beard? Aren't they like mega high maintenance?"_

_"No, we don't call girls dame's anymore."_

_"So are you like the mysterious angsty biker fanfiction guy?"_

_"No, I don't need help asking MJ out Bucky."_

_"No! That is so weird!"_

_"Why do you like plums so much?"_

Peter blinked several times, the memories hurt his head, but suddenly the fondness for the man made sense. He was his friend, or he was old Peter's friend, wait, no, he was Peter, he was his friend. This is his friend. Friend. Friend. Friend. Peter blinked several more times and registered the man talking.

"Nah I get it, not everyone likes plums," Bucky said tiredly, Peter shut him up by launching into Bucky's arm, hugging him roughly.

"I remember, I remember you. You, you, you. You. You're, you're my friend. I'm, I'm Peter Parker, and you're my friend. I care about you. You make me feel safe. I. I. I remember showing you Star Wars and, and, and-" Peter cut himself off by digging his face into Bucky's shoulder.

"Wow. Pete, the kid that's amazing. Do you remember anything else?" Bucky asked, Peter shook his head.

"Just you. Only you in the memories, it's like everything's blurry but you and me. Just you, it's like I have all these memories but now I can only see your face and your name. And all the feelings and thoughts make sense." Peter babbled, Bucky nodded.

"I have an idea. The plum triggered it because it's an important bonding moment between us. All we need to do is trigger an emotional response. I can't believe I didn't think of it sooner, it was the same thing when I got my memories back." Bucky said excitedly, shooting up from his sweet. Peter pulled him back into his seat.

"No. Not yet. I'm, I'm not ready yet. They hurt, the memories. My head hurts really bad." Peter said, tears gathering in his eyes. Bucky sat on the edge of the bed and wiped the tears.

"Shh, shh, Peter you're ok, you're ok. Don't cry." Bucky said softy, Peter only cried harder.

"I want to remember but I'm scared! What if I don't like what I remember!" He cried, Bucky shushed him, pulling him into his chest.

"I know kid, I know. You're ok though, you're ok."Bucky soothed, rubbing his back.

"You don't have to do it until you're ready. I'll stay with you, but we have to tell Bruce. We can do it in stages." Bucky soothed. Peter nodded into his shoulder. 

"Okay."


	21. Time Travel *Jazz Hands*

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An-Peggy, Howard and Jarvis come from the past via time travel. Irondad angst

Tony was tinkering away in the lab early Saturday morning. It was eight o'clock so peter was still sleeping. It was serene really, Tony had gotten a solid eight hours sleep, he'd even eaten breakfast. But all good things come to an end. He heard the crash behind him and whirled around excepting to find DUM-E or U messing with one of the suits. He definitely didn't expect to find his father, his aunt Peggy and Jarvis standing and looking around.

"What the ever-loving fuck is going on?" Tony breathed. Howard blinked at him and stepped forward, Peggy and Jarvis followed.

"What year is it?" Howard asked desperately, Tony blinked for a moment.

"September twentieth twenty-twenty." Tony breathed, if he was thinking right he was shitting his pants.

"It worked!" Peggy exclaimed excitedly. Tony fell back into his chair.

"I'm assuming you mean time travel?" Tony breathed, holding his head in his hands. This was far too much for him right now. Not with how much Peter had been going through.

"Yes! Where are we?" Howard asked, Tony dropped his hands and looked at Howard.

"You don't even recognise your own son?" Tony said quietly. Jarvis's mouth dropped open.

"But, but you can't be younger then forty master Anthony!" He exclaimed, Tony nodded shakily. Cringing at the use of his full name.

"It's Tony now. How old am I when you're from?" Tony asked. Peggy blinked before stepping forward.

"Five. I must say you've aged." She said with a soft smile. Tony nodded.

"The world has not done me well aunt Peggy." He breathed.

"Boss, Peter is headed your way. He is in distress." FRIDAY's voice rang out. Tony jumped from his seat.

"What was that?" Peggy asked, Tony waved a hand.

"FRIDAY, my artificial intelligence." He said swiftly, wiping of the motor oil from his hands and face.

"Who's Peter?" Howard asked.

"Your grandson." Tony said softly. The door slid open and in walked Peter, barefoot, baggy shirt barely clinging to his shoulders, stuffed animal held firmly to his side, knuckles rubbing his crying eyes. His hair was flying everywhere and his face was red and splotchy.

"Oh, Peter." Tony breathed. Peter had been having non-stop nightmares since the vulture, Tony couldn't bare to see his son like this. He hadn't had nightmares since he was five, and there he was having them with so much force even after his sixteenth birthday.

"Dad? I had another nightmare. I, I, threw up again and my sheets were all sweaty and I could fall back asleep. FRIDAY said to come to get you." Peter said shakily, Tony rushed over to him and pulled him into a firm hug. Peter pressed his fade into Tony's shoulder.

"Did you throw up in your bed again?" Tony asked gently. Peter shook his head into his shoulder.

"No, made it to the bathroom." Peter said quietly, Tony nodded.

"That's good Bambino. We're you back with Toomes again?" Tony asked quietly, Peter nodded shakily into his shoulder.

"Yeah, I was, I was under the building but this time I couldn't get it off of me. When I woke up I thought my sweat was blood and I could help throwing up." Peter cried into his shoulder, Tony rocked him lightly and shushed him.

"Shh, shh, you're okay. You're okay. You're not there, you're not under the building, you're here, in Stark towers, in the lab, and you're with me." Tony said firmly, Peter nodded into his shoulder, holding him tighter.

Peter sniffles and pulled back from him, pouring lightly, "I just put those sheets on too." He said with a small grin. Tony threw his head back and laughed.

"That's ok, we can throw em in the washer and have them dry by tonight," Tony said, Peter nodded, rubbing his eyes.

"I accidentally broke my glasses when I woke up, do you have the spare from my desk?" Peter asked timidly. Tony nodded, rushing past Howard, Peggy and Jarvis, opening the draw on Peter's desk and pulling out the case. Carefully pulling out Peter's wire-rimmed glasses and abandoning the case. Peter took them gradually and sighed.

When he turned on his heel and saw the three standing there and hid his stuffed toy behind his back. He blinked rapidly before turning his head, gritting his teeth and talking through them to Tony.

"I'm not still dreaming am I?" Be asked, Tony stepped closer to him.

"Wish you were PB," Tony replied, Peter nodded quickly.

"I'm going to have a shower and change clothes," Peter said, stepped backwards out of the lab and turning and running down the hallway. Tony blinked and smiled sheepishly at the three staring at him dumbfounded.

"That's um, that my son. Peter-Benjamin Edward Parker. Hyphenated first name." Tony said awkwardly.

"Who's the mother?" Peggy asked, Tony reddened.

"Well you see, we don't know. I kind of had this wild child playboy phase, his mum fumbled him on my doorstep after he was born." Tony said nervously. Peggy nodded.

"You're good with him." She said, Tony nodded.

"I've don't pretty well." He said.

"So how old is he?" Howard asked. Tony shrugged.

"Just turned sixteen. And before you say anything about the nightmares he's been through a lot. He's still a kid. I'm not letting him grow up with the ideals you taught me." Tony said firmly, Howard stepped back in shock.

"What do you mean by that?" She sneered, Tony scoffed.

"Oh please, by the time I was five you were doing the hand thing," Tony said, flattening out his plans and showing Howard the ugly scars. Howard smirked at them.

"He's just as weak as his father then." Howard seethed, Tony stepped toward him, pressing a finger onto his chest.

"You can say that shit to me, but not my son. Peter is stronger then I will ever be. He had been through more than anyone his age should ever. You can either respect him and me in our home, or I'm throwing you out of my tower." Tony threatened, Howard blinked several times. Tony was much broader than him and slightly taller. Howard nodded tightly. Tony nodded stepping back from Howard.

"I um, I missed you guys. Not that you'll understand why I miss you yet." Tony said tightly to Peggy and Jarvis.

"I'm sure we will." Peggy said, Tony nodded.

"I always wished you guys were alive for Peter to meet. I always told him stories about you guys." Tony said, blinking away the tears.

"Well, he can now," Jarvis said gently. Tony nodded, turning away to wipe the tears, he didn't need this right now.

"Just warning you he has zero brains to mouth filter, so he'll like ramble for a while then shut his mouth and get flustered," Tony said with a small smile, Peggy and Jarvis nodded.

"He sounds like Tony from our time," Peggy said with a smile. Tony sighed.

"Yes well I hadn't lost my childlike wonder yet. I don't ever want Peter to lose that." Tony breathed. The room was silent for a moment.

"What's the machine in your chest?" Howard asked curiously, Tony let out a shaky breath, reaching a hand up to touch the arc reactor through his shirt.

"Arc reactor, it's basically my heart," Tony said, he didn't really feel like explaining the science behind it.

"Why do you need it?" Jarvis asked, Tony closed his eyes.

"I made a bomb, I was supposed to be at the testing sight but the car got taken. The terrorist group wanted me to recreate the bomb. I refused. And so the birth of iron man." Tony said flatly.

"Iron man?" Howard asked, Tony sighed.

"FRIDAY? Pull up a video." Tony commanded.

"Of course sir," FRIDAY responded. A hologram screen popped up informs of them, showing tony inside the suit, flying around, fighting enmities, killing aliens.

"Wow," Peggy said, Tony nodded.

"Who's this?" Howard asked, pointing to Spiderman. Tony sighed.

"That's Peter. Being a superhero runs in the family apparently. He was on a field trip to Oscorp industries and one of their specimens got out and bit him. The radioactive spider venom bonded with his DNA. He was sick for weeks, Bruce said he might die, but his healing developed before he could die." Tony said grimly, Peter was his baby, and those few weeks were terrifying.

"Have you done experiments?" Howard asked sharply, Tony let out a firm puff of air.

"We have done tests on his powers. But no, experimenting on living breathing humans is kind of frowned upon, although you seemed to enjoy testing things on me." Tony said firmly, Howard made to step forward but Peter appeared at the doorway, flicking his wrist and webbing Howard to the floor.

"You even blink threateningly in my fathers direction and I'll do more than web you to the floor." Peter seethed. Howard blinked in fear and stood down. Peter's back straightened and he held his hands behind his back.

"That's what I thought. I'm peter-Benjamin Stark. Lovely to meet you." He said firmly to Howard, who nodded shakily.

"You clean up nice PB." Tony commented, Peter slumped and rolled his eyes. He was in his nice school shoes, grey socks, cuffed jeans, collared shirt and blue jumper.

"Better than you." Peter said with a smile, Tony rose an eyebrow.

"I'll ignore that comment," Tony said, Peter snorted, finally turning to Peggy and Jarvis.

"Hello, Master Peter-Benjamin," Jarvis said, Peter cringed, waving a hand.

"You don't have to use the whole name. Only my teachers do that. You can choose a name or call me PB." Peter said, Jarvis nodded.

"It is lovely to meet you PB." Jarvis said, shaking Peter's hand. Peter smiled brightly. 

"Dad's told me all about you, he named his first AI after you. He used to babysit me when dad needed to go to a meeting or do iron man stuff. He had like all of your memories, and personality and stuff. Thank you for taking care fo him, if you weren't there I'm pretty sure he'd be dead. You're also just really really cool, literally like wow." Peter said breathlessly, Jarvis smiled softly. 

"Thank you. It is a pleasure to hear that my methods worked." Jarvis said, his eyes flickering to Tony's, who smiled softly. The room was silent for a moment before Peggy stepped forward.

"You look remarkably like your father," She said, sticking out her hand for him to shake. He took her hand, clearly starstruck. 

"He wishes." Peter breathed, Peggy smirked. Tony rose ane eyebrow from behind Peter. 

"Peggy Cater." She said, Peter nodded quickly.

"I know, my dad tells me about you all the time. I just want to say that you're like literally the best. You're one of the most influential and successful women of the twentieth century, and you made a mark in a world built against you. You are like literally my hero, I had to write a paper on an influential woman of the 1900s, and I chose you cause you're like so cool." Peter blurted out, blinking before reddening. He pressed his loops into a thin line, "You're also just badass." He said finally. Peggy laughed and nodded.

"He's not joking, the paper was six pages long."Tony said, Peggy laughed lightly. The room was silent again and Peter shifted on his feet awkwardly. 

"So. Time travel?" Peter asked with a grin, Tony rolled his eyes. 

"No. We are not having this conversation. You cannot go to the future and see if robots have taken over earth. Go be weird somewhere else." Tony said, Peter turned to him and pouted. 

"I just want to pay homage to our robot overlords," Peter said, Tony rolled his eyes, putting his hand over Peter's face. 

"If I let him, he'd be able to make a time machine in three days flat," Tony grumbled. 

"He sounds like you." Jarvis quipped, Tony rolled his eyes. Peter was protesting from behind Tony's hand. 

"He is like me. Brains run in the family. He's a literal genius, moving to MIT next month. He wouldn't let me transfer him earlier cause he wanted to wait for one of his friends." Tony said, Peter finally pulled his hand away from his face. 

"What is the point of having glasses if my dad just dirties them?" He said sarcastically. 

"We could just get you contacts?" Tony said, Peter shook his head. 

"Nope, they hurt my eyes too much. Remember we did that test with my night vision and the contacts restricted by pupils?" Peter asked, cleaning his glasses on his jumper. 

"Hmm yes, you thought we were trying to kill you," Tony said, Peter huffed. 

"No, I thought you were ripping my eye out. That's what it felt like." Peter said, Tony just shrugged. 

"You let him talk to you like that?" Howard asked, Tony turned to him sharply, Peter beat him to it though. 

"He is not only my father, but he is also my friend. I enjoy spending time with him, trusting him, sharing with him and having a meaningful relationship. Maybe you should take a leaf out of his book." Peter said firmly, he turned to Tony again. 

"Now before we go along with this time machine business I was going to make cookies," Peter said, Tony blinked at him several times. 

"You just shut down your grandfather, found out time travel is possible, and are meeting two of your lifetime heroes and you're thinking about cookies?" Tony asked incredulously, Peter shrugged. 

"First, you've said it yourself before, he's barely your father, so he's not my grandfather. Second I already knew time travel was possible, you just wouldn't let me create a time machine. Third I will freak out about it later and probably pass out when it sets in. Fourth of all of course I am, I'm a teenager and I have advanced metabolism. Let me live." Peter said, Tony sighed. 

"Who wants to join my maniac son making cookies? We can work on getting you back after." Tony asked, Peter turned to the others with a bright smile. 

"I'll join, I want to know more about this Tony Stark is my dad business." Peggy said, linking arms with Peter, Jarvis nodded. 

"And cookies do sound about right." He said, following Peter, Tony and Peggy out of the lab.

"Is anyone going to free me? Hello?!"


	22. It hurts

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An-Peter and the team get stuck up in a fight, and the bad guy makes Peter tell his deepest secret
> 
> TW-Blood, assumed past rape/sexual assault

"Pathetic, you can't even catch a simple villain." The man seethed, Peter squinted, he looked normal but had strange abilities. 

"You're just a petty bitch," Peter said with a shrug. His hands were tied behind his back and his ankles were bound together. The rest of the tied up team rolled their eyes at Peter's antics. 

"Like come on man! Come up with a more original backstory then 'The Avengers destroyed my home'." Peter demanded. The man laughed in Peter's face. 

"No, more then anything I am mad that you cannot work as a team. If you work as a team countless lives would not have been lost." The man said, Peter sighed. 

"Dude, we are literally a team of superheroes, we're a family. You can't get much closer than that." Peter said, the man crouched in front of Peter. 

"Really. Well, secrets can tear families apart. The secrets kept from us, and the secrets we keep from others." The man said, Peter's breath was caught in his throat, his eyes widening. 

"You would know all about that wouldn't you?" He said, leaning in closer to Peter. Who scoffed and laughed. 

"I'm a seventeen-year-old, of course I have secrets." Peter scoffed, the man's smile only widened. 

"Really, because I'm pretty sure you have some damning secrets. Tell me Peter, would you tell them to save your family?" The man said, pulling out a conveniently well hidden knife from his pants. He pressed it to Tony's neck. Peter opened and closed his mouth, there is no way he could know about _him_. 

"I'll tell you anything, just, just don't hurt them. Hurt me." Peter pleaded, trying to tear away the robes on his hands. The man just smiled, pressing the knife firmer onto Tony's neck. Tony's eyes widened, tilting his head back to reel away from the knife. 

"OK, but if you don't tell me what I want he gets it." He said, Peter nodded, screwing his eyes shut to think of his most damning secrets. 

"I've been in a secret relationship with MJ for over two years." He said, the man smirked, pressing the knife harder, drawing blood. 

"Think earlier." He said. 

"I was there the night my uncle died, he jumped in front of the bullet for me. He was only at the convenience store because I ran out of the house because we had a fight." Peter said, the man tutted and pressed the knife further. 

"Not good enough Peter. Think Skip Wescott." He said, Peter's breath caught in his throat. He could feel the blood draining from his face, his limbs losing all strength, his stomach churning, bile rising in his throat. 

"How do you know about him?" Peter whispered, the man chuckled. 

"I have some very nifty mind-reading abilities." He said, pulling the knife away from Tony only to press it to Peter's neck. Peter breathed in relief, he couldn't let Tony die, he wouldn't. Honestly right now he was terrified, so ready to die. 

"Have you ever wondered why Peter talks about himself like he didn't come into existence until he was nine? Ever wondered why he is repulsed by touch? Ever wondered why he wakes up screaming and crying from nightmares? Ever wondered why he is mistrusting?" He asked, Peter stiffened. The man laughed, pressing the tip of the knife into Peter's throat. 

"How about I show you?" He said, peter shook his head frantically. 

"No, no, please, please I'll, I'll do anything, they, they can't know. Please, I'm begging you, please don't show them." Peter begged, tears slipping out of his eyes. He pressed his eyes closed in desperation, fighting against the bonds. 

"You can, you can kill me, you can do anything just please don't show them!" Peter cried, thrashing against the bonds harder.

"Pete, it can't be that bad, just tell us." Tony said gently, Peter shook his head. 

"NO! You don't understand!" He snapped his eyes open when the bonds disappeared. He as back in the apartment, back before Ben died. Back with Skip. The team were hovering above him, watching in confusion.

He saw the turned back of Skip and stumbled backward, his back slamming into the wall behind him. Skip turned around and smiled at him, stepping forward. Peter pressed himself against the wall, frozen in fear. The tears were running down his cheeks, his mouth opening and closing in fear. He couldn't move, he couldn't scream.

"You can't run from me Einstien." HE said firmly, Peter shook his head. 

"NO! No, no, no, I don't want to. I don't want to." He pleaded, Skip only laughed darkly. 

"Come on Einstien, it'll be fun like last time. Don't you want to make me happy?" Skip said, Peter flinched when he stepped forward. 

"No, it hurts. Skip I don't want to. I don't want to." Peter pleaded. He knew this wasn't reality, but he was back there and he couldn't get away. He was trapped and he was scared. 

"Come on Einstien." Skip said, reaching an arm out towards Peter. Peter clenched his fist and threw a punch, only for Skip to catch his small hand. Peter's breath hitched, he was eight again. Tiny and sick, wire-rimmed glasses, long floppy hair and light up shoes. 

"No, let me go! Skip let me go!" Peter screamed, Skip just smirked and turned Peter around by his arm, pinning it painfully behind his back. 

"Come on, we're just having fun." He soothed, running his other hand under Peter's shirt and up and down his spine, pressing Peter's behind into his crotch. 

"I'm not scared of you anymore!" Peter screamed, Skip just tutted behind him. 

"Then why did you wet yourself?" He tutted. Peter squeezed his eyes shut. Skip used his hand to pull down the back of Peter's shorts, Peter squirmed and kicked his legs, flailing his hand to try and hit Skip. 

"I don't want to! I don't want to! Please Skip, please don't make me!" He begged, Skip just shushed him, he loosened his grip on Peter's arm enough that Peter could wrench it out of his grip. He pulls his small shorts back up, slamming his foot down onto Skip's. He whipped around and slammed his knee into his crotch, then slammed his tiny palm into his nose, it started gushing blood onto the carpet. 

When Peter looked around himself and found himself back in the basement with the others, he looked down at his hands and found them unbound and seventeen years old again. He backed up against the wall, the man was gone, but the team were left. Peter had made a mess of his pants, and he was bleeding from his neck. Tony quickly loosened his bonds and rushed over to Peter, who shrunk away from him. 

Peter brought his knees up to his chest, pressing his head into his knees, hiding his head in his arms, "No, go away. Go away. Go away." He muttered over and over again, Tony stepped back in shock, quickly helping the team out of their bonds. Peter was still pressed against the wall, still muttering for them to leave him alone. 

"Bruce, what do we do? We need to get him out of here." Tony said, Burce nodded. 

"There are sedatives in the jet. I need Peter's so we can keep him asleep while we get him to the jet and back to the compound!" Bruce said urgently, Natasha ran out of the building, quickly returning with the supplies. 

"He's not going to want anyone near him, someone needs to hold him down," Bruce said. Bucky and Steve nodded, advancing on Peter, who's head snapped up. 

"Please, please, please. I don't wanna, Skip I don't wanna, don't wanna, it hurts." He pleaded, Steve and Bucky's heart broke at the sight. 

"Pete, it's us, it's Steve and BUcky. You aren't there anymore. You're gonna be ok." Steve said gently, Peter shook his head. Bucky lunged and caught Peter around his torso before he could bolt. Steve held down his legs while Bruce came froward with the syringe. Peter was screaming bloody murder, writhing in Steve and Bucky's grip, pulling and yanking, kicking and flailing. The screaming finally stopped when Bruce injected the sedative. They all stepped back from Peter who was slumped on the ground.

"Someone pick him up. We can get him into a change of clothes in the jet." Bruce said softly, Bucky nodded and picked up Peter's limp form. 

"Why did he think we were that guy?" He asked, Bruce sighed, leading them out of the building. 

"He was most likely having a flashback. He couldn't tell the difference between the memory and reality." Bruce said softly. 

"He was so small." Tony whispered. 

"I think I know what happened to him that he didn't want us to know." Natasha said, leading the way up the steps to the jet. 

"I think we all do." Bruce said quietly, watching as Bucky dropped Peter onto one of the medical beds. Tony stepped forward, pulling the spare clothes out of the drawers underneath. 

"Turn around, he'll feel violated if anyone else sees him." Tony said. They nodded, turning away.

\----------------------

Peter woke up shakily, the first thing he noticed was that someone had changed his clothes. He instantly felt the aftereffects of the sedative and panicked. He didn't know where he was, he couldn't remember how old he was and he wasn't sure whether he was even real. He cried out and tried to move his limps, but they were held down by leather straps. He cried out again and tried to break the bonds but they were too strong. He could feel the overwhelming panic, and the lack of air in his lungs. He was scared, he just wanted it to go away. 

The door slammed open making Peter cry out again, he could see someone rushing towards him but his vision was blurry with tears. 

"Peter! I need you to calm down! You're in the Avengers compound, in the med-bay. My name is Bruce Banner and your name is Peter Parker!" Bruce shouted, Peter instantly stopped struggling, blinking away the blurriness. 

"Bruce? Is this real? Am, am _I_ real?" Peter stuttered out. 

"You're real Peter. This is real. No ones going to hurt you." Bruce said gently, with a nod Bruce stepped forward and started undoing the leather straps.

"Can you tell me how old you are? And what you last remember?" Bruce asked gently, Peter took in a shaky breath.

"Seventeen. We were in the basement, and the bad guy made you guys watch my secret." Pete said, his breath hitches in his throat. When the final strap was gone Peter turned away from Bruce. He curled in on himself on his side, tears dribbling out of his eyes.

"Oh, Peter," Bruce said softly as Peter's body started shaking with sobs.

"Peter, what happened to you is nothing to be ashamed of. Our opinion of you has not changed, we still love you. We will support you through this." Bruce said softly, a Peter wiped his face and sniffed.

"I was so scared. It was so real. I though, I thought I was back there and I, I thought he was gonna do it again. It hurt so bad." Peter whispered, Bruce nodded.

"Peter, can I touch you?" Bruce asked gently, Peter was silent for a moment. Then he nodded shakily, Bruce reached out a hand to rest on his shoulder. Peter turned suddenly to face Bruce, wrapping his arms around Peter's middle, sobbing into his stomach. Bruce sighed, tears pricking in his eyes.

"You're ok. You're ok." Bruce soothing, his own tears joining Peter's.


	23. Memories pt2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An-Memories Part two, Steve and Bruce

Peter had been scribbling on a piece of paper Bucky had given him, it calmed him down. He didn't even realise it was turning into someone until a blonde man interrupted him.

"Who's that?" He asked, Peter's body jolted, cause him to drop the pencil, it came crashing down into the floor. Peter narrowed his eyes and turned away from the man towards the wall. He puffed out a harsh breath of air.

"Asshole," Peter muttered, the man sighed behind him. Peter couldn't stay mad at him though, he looked up to him, he didn't know why, but he admired him. He felt save and sound with him, he loved him. Bucky said his name was Steve.

"Sorry, Pete." He said, offering the pencil to Peter. Peter turned and took it hesitantly, he forgot what it was like for someone to be nice to him, kind. He stared down at it, he picked back up the paper and handed it to Steve.

"It's me, before everything. Before ya know. Before the scars." Peter said softly. Steve nodded, he sniffed.

"It's really great," Steve said, Peter smiled tightly. Steve smiled back at him and sat down on the seat next to him.

"How've you been?" Steve asked, Peter shrugged.

"I can be alone in a room now." He said softly, Steve nodded.

"How are you passing your time?" Steve asked gently, Peter pointed to a stack of drawing.

"My memories are getting less blurry. Ones without other people. It makes remembering easier. Drawing it, or writing it down." Peter said quietly. Steve nodded.

"Bucky said you were drawing a lot. I brought you something." Steve said, pulling something out from his back pocket. Peter took the packet of pencils with a soft smile, the pain shot through his head again, his grip loosening on the pencils. They hit the bed with a thump, his eyes widened, tears slipping down his face as his hands shook.

_"Hey, cap! Captain!"_

_"Mr Stark said you'd say that."_

_"I'm from queens."_

_"I'm I'm, I'm Peter Parker! It's, it's an honour to meet you, Sir!"_

_"Sorry for stealing your shield dude..."_

_"Wow! You're here! I didn't think you'd show up! Happy grandfathers day!"_

_"What kind of disguise is that?"_

_"Oh my god! I have to show you vines!"_

_"I'm making you a Spotify account so you can listen to music through the ages!"_

_"Wow! It's beautiful Mr Rogers! Thank you so much. I can't believe you drew me!"_

_"Nah I'm fine Mr Steve, just a light poke.... with a knife..... to the liver...."_

_"I'd love that! I'll bring my sketchbook tomorrow!"_

_"Wow, they're beautiful Steve!"_

Peter blinked away the tears. He jammed his palm up to wipe the tears away, Steve was blinking at him confusedly. Peter shook his head, taking in a shaky breath.

"Steven Grant Rogers. You mother fucker." Peter breathed. Steve reddened and blinked at Peter.

"You brought them on purpose. I, um, I remember you. And the memories. Oh my god. Steve. I remember you. Wow. Steve. Oh my god. You're here, and you're my friend, and and, oh my god. I used to call you Grant. Dude. Dude!" Peter exclaimed, a wide smile on his face, as he reached to grab onto Steve's shoulders, shaking him back and forth.

"Language." Steve breathed, Peter rolled his eyes.

"American English dipshit. You asshole. The first thing you say to me when I get my memory is language?! You are unbelievable! I am so telling Bucky!" Peter exclaimed.

"You seem happy." Steve breathed. Peter rolled his eyes.

"Give me a hug you fossil."

——————————

Peter's eyelids were dropping when Bruce came shuffling into the room. Bruce was carrying a stack of blankets for him. Peter sat up sleepily and smiled lazily at him. It was three months since he came back, people kept trying to talk to him and get him to remember them but it wasn't working. Apparently they had to find the right emotional attachment to a memory.

"Brought all those blankets you wanted," Bruce said, Peter nodded tiredly.

"Thanks, it gets really cold here at night," Peter said, taking one of the blankets off the pile.

"I also brought one of your stuffed animals from your room," Bruce said gently, Peter took it gently and nodded.

"When can I get out of here by the way?" Peter asked tiredly, Bruce shrugged.

"Couple more days, then you can go back to your room. Tony's already decked out a wheelchair for you." Bruce said. Peter shrugged.

"Good for him," Peter said while narrowing his eyes. Bruce snorted and put the blankets at the end of the bed. Peter shrugged again and cuddled the toy to his chest, humming.

"Tired?" Bruce asked, Peter nodded.

"Yeah, but it's still light out," Peter said, yawning afterwards. Even though he still had the lingering feeling of love and comfort around everyone else, not remembering why he felt that way made it hard for him to trust them. But Bruce was patient with him and didn't constantly try to push the memories.

"That's ok, your brains whirring with all the memories. You've been working your body with learning how to do things again. How's the writing going by the way?" Bruce asked, spreading out the blankets making Peter hum. He pulled the rolling bed-side closer to him and handed Bruce the notebook. Bruce nodded with a smile.

"You're doing great, you could start trying your signature if you want." Bruce offered, Peter nodded and shakily moved his pen. He could remember how to do things, just doing them was the problem. He'd been so hurt from the kidnapping and something in his brain was damaged. Peter scrunched his face up.

"Can you do yours first? I wanna see how the pen moves." Peter asked, handing him the pen. Bruce nodded and took it from him. Peter's vision was blurry as he watched Bruce, the familiar shooting pain shot through his head and tears dropped onto the open page of the notebook.

_"Wow! You're Dr Bruce Banner! You're my hero! I read your book on Gamma radiation, and the other one on wormhole theory!"_

_"Can you, can you sign my book for me? It's just it used to be my uncles and he always wanted to get it signed."_

_"Oh! Here's a pen!"_

_"Ben Parker was his name. Yeah, he was great."_

_"Wow! You're giving me a free copy of your new book?! And it's signed?! Oh my god!"_

_"Woah! I didn't even know I could do that with my strength! Wow! We need to keep testing me!"_

Peter blinked several times, his face splitting knot a grin, "Nevermind, I already have your signature." Peter whispered. Bruce blinked down at him and laughed.

"Yeah. Yeah, you do bud." Bruce said softly. Peter laughed, crashing into Bruce.

"So that's where that book came from. In the corner." Peter said quietly, Burce hummed. 

"You used to read it to help you sleep, and you said-" Bruce started, Peter held up his hand. 

"It used to be my uncles. He used to read it to me before bed, that's why I still do it." Peter said softly, Bruce nodded. 

"Yeah. You're getting better Pete. you're gonna me ok."


	24. Closets

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An-Peter doesn't like closets or closed doors especially locked doors
> 
> An-Mentions of abuse and neglect

"Hey Pete, you know the wardrobe if for clothes and storage right? You don't have to use the draws or stack boxes in the corner of your room." Tony said, Peter's eyes widened and he looked up at Tony. Peter shrugged casually, trying to keep his breathing even and body from shaking. He hated closets, and he hated wardrobes. 

"I don't like wardrobes and closets," Peter said quietly, Tony rose an eyebrow. 

"Spider thing?" He said, Peter plastered on a fake smile and nodded. 

"Yeah, spider thing," Peter said tightly, Tony nodded and closed the drawer. 

"Cool, tell me next time." He said, sauntering out of the room. He made to close the door but Peter stopped him. 

"Keep it open please." Peter squeaked, Tony rose an eyebrow but shrugged. 

"You sure? You don't want some privacy or anything?" Tony asked, Peter shook his head. 

"I like the door open." He defended, Tony nodded suspiciously. 

"You are one weird teenager kid." Tony said, walking down the hallway swiftly. Peter took a deep breath, scrunching the legs of his pants. He couldn't tell Tony, he couldn't tall anyone. He was never going to tell anyone what they'd done to him in the foster home. It wasn't really a spider thing, it was a, I have a panic attack whenever I'm in a closet or wardrobe and no one knows, thing.

Peter stood up suddenly and walked slowly over to the walk-in wardrobe door, he didn't go in, he just stared into it. He held the doorknob tightly, his breathing was picking up again, and he didn't hide that his hands were shaking now. He blinked several times into the wardrobe, it was dark, and it made his senses flare wildly. 

_"Closet for nine hours!" She screamed. Peter flinched at her tone, she had already not let him have dinner, and she said he wouldn't be allowed to eat until next week. Peter was on his knees in front of her, his eyes widened at the mention of the closet._

_"Please! Please don't make me go in the closet! I'll be good, I'll be good. I won't do it again! I promise!" He pleaded, she just shook her head sadly._

_"If you were good you wouldn't have stolen food from the fridge." She said firmly, Peter blinked away the tears._

_"Please, please don't make me, there are monsters in there." Peter pleaded, she shook her head, stepping towards him, backing him into the closet. Once he was in it his eyes started darting around the place. She closed the door and locked it firmly. Ignoring his cries, and his pleas, and the banging on the door. It stayed locked._

Peter flinched and looked away from the closet, closing the door slowly. He let the door handle go slowly and walked away, blinking away the tears. He sat on his bed and flopped his back down onto it. He struggled off his jumper and lobbed it across the room, blowing his hair out of his face. He sighed, rolling onto his side and curling up into a ball, he held his fists firmly to his chest. He didn't notice Natasha and Bucky watching the whole exchange from the hallway.

\-----------------

"It's more than a spider thing." Natasha said firmly. The whole team were gathered around the meeting room table. Everyone was there except Sam and Clint. Tony had adopted him out of an orphanage when he found out Peter was living there. He'd lived in a few foster homes before going back to the orphanage. 

"But he hasn't told us anything that suggests it's not!" Tony protested. Natasha and Bucky shared a glance. 

"You didn't see the way he looked into that wardrobe. You didn't see the look in his eyes or the way he flinched. He was staring into the wardrobe for far too long to just be thinking, he was remembering something." Bucky said firmly. 

"And how would you know?" Rhodey asked, Bucky narrowed his eyes. 

"You remember that time Steve gave me that postcard? And I zoned out for half an hour? It's because I was remembering bad things, not like I'd forgotten them, but it got me stuck in them." Bucky said. 

"And that's what Peter looked like?" Pepper asked, Bucky nodded in confirmation.

"That's what he looked like."

\------------------------

"Hey, Peter what are you up to?" Clint asked, Peter looked up from his book and blinked. He lifted the book up and moved it around. 

"Just reading." He said with a smile. Clint's eyes flickered to Sam who was creeping up behind Peter. 

"Cool! What are you reading?" Clint asked, sitting down next to Peter. Sam was just behind him now with his hands raised.

"I had such friends by-" Peter cut himself off when Sam grabbing onto his elbows, pulling him off the couch. Clint picked up his legs and followed Sam. Peter was terrified, he struggled but didn't have the strength to get out of their grips.

"Let me go! Please! Let me go!" Peter screamed, Clint and Sam just laughed.

"Tony said you had this weird spider thing where you couldn't go in closets. We wanted to test it out." Clint said, opening the laundry cupboard one-handed. Peter thrashed wildly in their grip but couldn't get out. They threw him into the closet in a heap, closing the door with a slam and locking it with a click. He scrambled up off the ground and started banging on the door with his fists.

"Let me out! Please let me out! Please! I'll do anything!" He screamed, it was dark and quiet in the closet, Peter could almost feel the walls closing in on him.

"If you really wanted to get out you would just slam through the door," Sam said in a sing-song voice. Peter cried out, his face scrunching up as the tears started flowing. He banged on the door harder, his hands hurting with the hits. His breathing was erratic and shaky, he wanted to get out. He didn't want to be bad. He wanted out.

"Please! I'm scared! I'll, I'll, I'll be good, just please let me out!" Peter screamed, he didn't hear anything other than laughter on the other side of the door. He couldn't breathe, he couldn't breathe! His lungs were too tight and his nose couldn't get in the air. His whole body was shaking he couldn't stop the tears. He stopped the banging in favour of clawing at the door frantically.

"Please! I'm scared! What did I do wrong! I don't wanna be in here!" He pleaded, his voice was clogged with tears and distress.

————————

"Boss, Peter is in distress." FRIDAY said.

"What's happening with him?" Tony asked, sitting up in his seat.

"He is having a panic attack in a closet." She answered, Tony lept up from his seat.

"Why the hell is he is a closet?!" Tony shouted, slamming open the meeting room door, the team following closely behind.

"Sam and Clint locked him in there as a joke." She said solemnly. The team rushed into the elevator and up to the coming rooms. When they burst out they were met with Sam and Clint snickering outside the laundry closet. They could hear screaming, crying, banging and clawing from the other side of the door. Even through the soundproofing.

Tony rushed forward and pushed them out of the way, trying to get the lock open. Sam and Clint stepped back and continued laughing, Tony whirled around.

"Where's the key?!" Tony shouted, Clint blinked at him.

"Why don't you need the key? He's fine?" Clint said, Tony's eyes burnt.

"He's having a panic attack you dipshit! You can hear him through the soundproof door!" Tony exclaimed, they all listened to Peter begging through the door to be let out.

"PLEASE! LET ME OUT! I'M SCARED! I'M SCARED! LET ME OUT!" Peter screamed, the banging and clawing sounds getting louder through the door. Sam and Clint paled before shoving the key into Tony's waiting hand. He unlocked the door and slammed in open. Peter fell into a heap on the floor at his feet, his hands covered in blood, his fingers broken. He backed away from Tony on his behind away from Tony, his hands slipping from the blood.

His chest was heaving with the effort of breathing and his eyes were erratic. He slipped again and cried out, moving faster towards the wall. Tony watched him in open-mouthed horror.

"Peter I need you to calm down, you're hurt bad," Tony said gently, creeping forward. Peter shook his head, his breathing getting more erratic.

"N-n-no! You're gonna put me back in the closet!" He cried, his face scrunched up. Tony shook his head, taking a step forward making Peter flinch violently.

"I'm not gonna put you back in the closet baby, I'm gonna take care of you." He soothed, Peter shook his head again.

"No! Stay away from me!" He shouted, pressing against the wall further. Tony knew that if Peter kept it up he was going to pass out.

"Peter you have to listen to me, if you don't calm down you're gonna pass out. You don't wanna pass out do you?" Tony asked convincingly, Peter shook his head frantically, the fear in his eyes amping up.

"No! Dark!" He cried, Tony nodded.

"I know baby, you gonna follow my breathing. Can you do that?" Tony asked, Peter nodded shakily. Tony slowing his breathing, exaggerating his chest. Peter tried to follow him but couldn't get the rhythm. Tony winced as he reached out for Peter's hand. Peter pulled his hand away, his breathing returning to its fast and erratic state.

"I'm just gonna take your hand and put it on my chest. I'm not gonna hurt you or put you back in the closet." Tony said firmly, Peter stared at him for a moment before thrusting his hand forward. Tony took it and placed it on his chest. After fifteen minutes Peter was breathing normally, the pain was setting in through. Tony dropped his hand gently, Peter cradled them to his chest.

"Hurts." He said brokenly, his voice hoarse and crackling. Tony nodded.

"I know Petey, we are gonna get you cleaned up. Can you let me help you up?" Tony asked gently, Peter looked up at him and nodded slowly. Tony took him under his arms and lifted him off the floor. Peter swayed slightly, unable to hold his own weight.

"Okay, let's get you in the elevator," Tony said, Peter pushes away, slumped against the wall.

"No! No closed doors!" He shouted, Tony nodded.

"Okay. No elevator. We can take the stairs. Is that ok?" Tony said, Peter nodded, letting tony lead him again.

After some time they got the Med-Bay with little amounts of hiccups. Tony was mostly dragging Peter along, his eyelids were dropping with the after-effects of a panic attack. Pepper opened the door for them and led them into the room. When Steve made to close the door Peter panicked again. Steve quickly opened the door again. Tony gently pushed Peter onto one of the beds.

Helen rushed in and paled when he saw Peter's hands. She immediately got an X-Ray and sat Peter back on the bed. She cleaned off the blood gently before she explained.

"Okay Peter, you have multiple breaks and I'm going to need to put some casts on for you." She said gently, Peter nodded shakily.

"Okay, I'm just going to inject your pain medication, wait for it to set in and then reset the bones. Can you sit still for me?" She asked gently, Peter nodded, avoiding her eyes. She raised the needle.

"Okay, just a small prick and no more pain." She said, Peter nodded slowly. She pulled up his sleeve and injected the needle.

"Okay, ten minutes and then we're good to go." She said, patting him on the shoulder. She redied and plaster and braces while they waited. After the time she started carefully casting Peter's hands, offering praise for his behaviour. Peter's eyes were glassy, tears slipping down his cheeks occasionally. Sam and Clint were on the far side of the room, watching the process guiltily.

"There you go, Pete. You're all good to go now." She said, Peter slid off the bed and dropped his hands to his sides. Tony linked arms with him and guided him out of the Med-Bay and back up the stairs to the common rooms. Peter let himself be led, his face blank and emotionless. Tony pushed him onto the main couch sitting down next to him.

"It's not just a spider thing is it?" Pepper asked, sitting to his left. Peter sniffled and shook his head.

"No. It's not just a spider thing." Peter said quietly. Pepper sighed next to him and wrapped an arm around his shoulder, hugging him to her side.

"Are you claustrophobic?" She asked, Peter sniffed again and nodded.

"It's more than that though." He said stiffly, Tony sighed and moved closer to Peter, wrapping an arm around his waist.

"We thought it was more than that." He said, Peter nodded. Peter was awkwardly sitting between them, stiff as a board.

"Have you ever looks through my files? As in my guardianship ones?" Peter asked hesitantly, Tony and Pepper glanced at each other.

"No honey, we thought you'd tell us when you were ready. We know you were fostered multiples times before going back to the orphanage." Pepper said gently. Peter nodded and sniffed.

"Well, you know how they said I wasn't eligible for fostering anymore?" Peter asked, Tony and Pepper glanced at each other again.

"Yeah, you said you were too old," Tony said quietly.

"I um, I lied," Peter said quietly. Looking down at the casts.

"Lied about what honey?" Pepper asked, Peter could feel the tears in us eyes again. He sniffled again.

"I lied about the reason I wasn't eligible for fostering anymore." Peter said, his voice cracking throughout the sentence.

"Pete, we don't care that you lied, we aren't angry or disappointed. We're scared, what happened back there was terrifying, and I never want to see you like that ever again. You're hurting so bad Peter, and I want to make that hurting go away." Tony said gently, hugging Peter closer to his side.

"I was scared that when you found out you'd be mad. That you'd be ashamed of me. Because _I'm_ ashamed of me. I don't want to, to be scared of dark, and of closed doors, locks. I want it to go away." Peter said softly, tears slipping down his cheeks. Tony and Pepper held him tighter.

"Peter you have nothing to be ashamed of. Whatever happened to you was not your fault. You don't even have to tell us, you just have to let us in." Tony said, Peter nodded.

"I uh, I want to tell you," Peter said stiffly.

"Are you sure? That you're ready for that?" Pepper said gently, Peter nodded.

"Yeah, you need to know. And I need to tell someone. Well someone other than Ned and MJ. They were the only ones that knew when it was happening, they got me to tell my CPS agent and helped me gather evidence." Peter squeezed his eyes shut.

"Sorry, I'm not making any sense. The reason I wasn't eligible for fostering was because the last couple who fostered me," Peter paused, taking several breaths, "They were neglectful. Like really really neglectful. I was with them for a couple of years, but they were never going to adopt me of course." Peter paused again, swallowing. Pepper, Tony and the team stayed silent.

"I didn't know what they were doing was bad for a long long time. Until MJ said something." Peter swallowed again. If he hadn't broken his fingers he would be scrunching his pants like he always did when he was anxious.

"When I did something bad they would take away food, and not let me drink water. But um, when I was really really bad they would lock me in the hall closet. It was really dark in there, they'd cover up the door and the windows so it was pitch black. There wasn't anything in there, no shelves, no cupboards, no flooring, no nothing. It was clean too, there was just nothing." Peter blinked rapidly before he continued.

"I was a little kid, so I was still scared of the dark, and I kept being scared of the dark. They had me from when I was eight till I was thirteen, so when I got my powers it was worse in there. The air was really thick in there, and it was hot. I couldn't breathe in there, I couldn't see, I couldn't feel anything. There was just nothing. I think that's what scared me, the nothingness. I felt lonely in there, and I felt out of control. It didn't matter whether I screamed and cried and I begged and I promised. It didn't matter if I clawed at the door, whether I banged on the door it didn't matter.

"They would never let me out until the time was up. And when Sam and Clint put me in the closet I was back there. I was out of control, and I was alone again. And I don't like being alone." Peter finished quietly. 

"That's why you said that you'd be good. Shit kid, I'm so sorry." Sam breathed, Peter avoided his aze and nodded. 

"Pete, fuck, we would have never done that had we known the eight behind it. And we are so so so sorry for doing that." Clint said, Peter nodded. 

"I know you're being genuine, but I can't forgive you. Not yet. And it will take a long time before I can." Peter said firmly. 

"We understand," Sam said, Peter nodded. 

"So what now?" Tony asked gently, Peter shrugged. 

"Can I take my door off?" He asked with a grin, Tony rolled his eyes. 

"Yes, we can take your door off. We'll do anything we can to make things easier for you." Tony said. 

"We can block the wardrobe off too." Pepper said, Peter nodded. 

"I'd like that."


	25. Memories pt3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An-Ned and MJ

"Hey Peter, I brought a guest, can I come in?" Bruce said from outside the door. When he didn't hear a response he sighed and opened the door slowly. The room was dark, the curtains closed, no lights. Bruce sighed again and waved Ned in. They could both he Peter's curled form underneath several blankets. 

"Go away Bruce," Peter muttered from under the blankets. His voice was clogged with tears, you could tell he'd been crying for a long time. Bruce sighed and pulled out Peter's chair from his desk and rolled it over to Ned. 

"Can you tell me why you're crying?" He asked softly, sitting on the edge of Peter's bed. Peter moved closer to the wall and didn't answer. 

"Is this about Tony?" Bruce asked softly, when Peter curled in on himself further. Bruce sighed and patted Peter's side gently. 

"He just cares. He he's scared for you, he loves you Peter." Bruce said, Peter suddenly tore the blankets off and pointed a finger at Bruce. 

"He loved the old me! Who could remember him! Who could walk! Who could do things without needing help! Who could-" Peter curled back under the blankets, " _Who could love him back_." He said softly. Bruce could feel the tears gathering in his eyes. 

"Peter you've changed yes, but he never stopped loving you. And if he were here he'd tell you the same thing." Bruce said, he heard Peter sniffle and stay silent, he knew he'd won. He turned to Ned while getting off the bed. 

"Just be gently with him. He's been having a hard time recently. If he remembers he'll zone out for a while." Burce said, Ned nodded slowly and turned back to Peter who had peeked his head above the covers. 

"Don't get you hopes up on me remembering," Peter said, slowly pulling himself out of the sheets.

"I don't mind. I just wanted to see you." Ned said with a shrug. Peter rubbed his eyes with his knuckles. He wanted to be angry, and he wanted to pout, but this boy made him feel safe, and happy and excited about something he didn't know. 

"Did Bruce tell you?" Peter asked hesitantly. He found himself wanting his approval, his happiness. 

"Tell me what?" Ned said with a raised eyebrow. Peter responded by throwing back the covers, showing his amputated legs.

"They had to amputate them." He said quietly, Ned's eyes widened. 

"But that's awesome! You get to make cool legs like you made Bucky's arm that one time! And you can like put cool stickers on them!" Ned exclaimed, Peter couldn't help but smile. 

"Yeah, I guess I can do that." He said, Ned seemed to make this situation easier to handle. Like he didn't have to have the weight of the world on his shoulders. 

"So what do you want to do? I haven't gotten the hang of my wheelchair yet. And I can't really use my hands that well." Peter said nervously, Ned smiled encouragingly at him. 

"Well, I wanted to bring you a few things you left at my house. We made this lego death star a while ago." Ned said sheepishly, Peter grinned. 

"From StarWars! That was the first thing I watched when my memories started coming back!" Peter said excitedly, scooching over to Ned. He was starting to realise why he liked Ned, he was easy to talk to. 

"Yeah! Bruce said you made everyone watch the one when it came out!" Ned exclaimed, Peter nodded, almost falling off the bed in his haste to get over to Ned. 

"Yeah! Tony downloaded it on the TV just for me cause I was so excited! I can even access it in my room because-" Peter was cut off by Ned. 

"Cause it calms you down and cheers you up." Ned said with a soft smile, Peter nodded. 

"Yeah, how'd you know that?" Peter said, eyebrow raised. 

"I've known you since I was five. You're my best friend. You haven't changed much." Ned said, Peter nodded. 

"I um, well, everyone says that but won't talk about how I was before. Have I, have I changed?" Peter said shyly, avoided Ned's eyes. Ned shook his head no. 

"No, you're still my Peter, who no matter what was insecure even though he had no reason to. You have no reason to. You're kind and caring, you're funny and witty, and you're," Ned paused, reaching out for Peter's hands. 

"You're my best friend, nothing is ever going to change that," Ned said firmly, Peter nodded. 

"I can see why I like you so much." Peter said, sniffling, Ned grinned and nodded. 

"Of course. Now anyway, I couldn't bring the death star, but I brought the LEGO figure, here." Ned said, depositing it into Peter's hand. Peter stared down at the figure, why was this making him remember?

_"Edward? That's a weird name How about I call you Ned?"_

_"Neddie! Neddie look! Aunty May got us tickets to the new Star Wars movie!"_

_"No way?! You got real-life light sabres?!"_

_"Happy birthday Ned!"_

_"Nedward my good friend! I have a proposition!"_

_"Betty Jones so does not like me! She's looking at you dude!"_

_"Ask her to dance! You've been crushing on her since like fourth grade!"_

_"He's gone, Ned. He's not coming back. I don't know what to do Neddie, he was my everything."_

_"Fuck off Flash, you're just jealous he has friends."_

_"Don't listen to him dude, he's just an insecure asshole."_

_"Hey Ned, I need to tell you something.... Ned, I'm bisexual."_

_"No way?! You got a LEGO death star?!"_

_"We should probably stop looking before it gets creepy."_

_"Dude! I got a Stark internship!"_

_"No! I'm not spider-man!"_

_"No! You cannot tell aunt May! Not with everything going on!"_

_"I love you dude, no matter what. You're my guy in the chair."_

Peter blinked rapidly down at the figure and then back up at Ned, "Dude." He breathed, Ned rose an eyebrow, "Dude." Peter repeated, taking Ned's shoulders. 

"I am so happy right now that I could kiss you, but that would be weird cause we're homies," Peter said, Ned smirked. 

"They aren't your homies if you don't kiss them," Ned said, Peter rolled his eyes and crush Ned in a hug. 

"Oh my god I missed you. Fuck, dude I missed you so much. Ned, Ned, you're, you're here, and I remember you. Ned, fucking Ned, you're, you're my best friend, and, and, and, oh my fucking god I love you so fucking much." Peter sobbed into his shoulder, Ned wouldn't lie and say he wasn't crying. Because Peter remembered him, his best friend remembered him.

"Shh, shh, you're ok Peter, I'm here and I'm not leaving," Ned said firmly. 

"Promise you won't leave?" Peter whispered.

"Never."

\-------------------------

Peter wasn't really sure about this MJ girl, Ned had brought her with him a few weeks ago and now she just showed up randomly as sat with him while he did stuff. Right now he was practising his writing, but his hand was shaking to much, he managed to get so frustrated he broke his pencil. 

"FUCK!" He shouted, holding his head in his hands. He heard MJ shift beside him. 

"You ok Parker?" She asked, Peter turned to her with fire in his eyes. 

"Do I look ok?! I can't do anything I used to be able to! I can't walk! I can't write! I can't hold things! I can barely look at myself in the mirror! My lives over before I'm even an adult!" Peter shouted, he didn't mean to shout at her. He just wanted to shout. She blinked and nodded, still looking at her notebook and drawing away. 

"If only you had used this pent up aggression to do something." She said sarcastically. Peter gestured wildly to his paper. He had the feeling MJ was always like this, non-caring and emotive.

"What does it look like I'm doing?" He grumbled, picking back up the bottom half of the pencil. He was trying to learn cursive again. He paused when MJ slid the notebook towards him. He looked up at her and blinked in confusion. It was him, him no, not before, strangely he didn't hate the way he looked in the drawing. 

"I like to draw people in distress." She said, ripping the drawing out of the notebook and pushing it towards Peter. Peter blinked in a daze, his mind whirling with memories. 

_"Then why are you sitting with us?"_

_"What are you doing in detention?"_

_"How would you know that? You aren't in robotics."_

_"No MJ I don't need my glasses anymore."_

_"No, of course, I don't take steroids!"_

_"I'm not hiding anything. Why would you think that?"_

_"What are you on? Oh? Serotonin? That's why you're smiling?"_

_"If you get to call me Benjamin I get to call you Michelle."_

_"Hey! That's my phone!"_

_"Hey MJ, I'm bisexual. No, I don't have a crush on Ned. Why would you even think that? You have to kiss your homies!"_

_"Hey MJ, you're pretty cute..... NO! NOT THE BOOK! TONY WILL KILL ME IF I GET ANOTHER CONCUSSION!"_

_"I so do have the balls!"_

_"Hey MJ, do you know how to stop bleeding."_

_"My blood type? Red...."_

_"Michelle Jones! We talked about getting arrested!"_

_"NO! MJ I am not bailing you out of jail again, call your mum."_

_"Fuck you MJ, I can't believe you convinced me to bail you out again."_

Peter looked up from the drawing at looked at MJ, "And you had the nerve to get at me for getting into troubl as Spider-Man. I can't count the times I've had to bail you out of jail." Peter said. He didn't miss the flash of happiness in MJ's eyes. 

"Welcome back loser." She said with a small grin. 

"Oh, little old me got you to smile?" He said, amusement lacing his voice. She rolled her eyes and picked her pencil back up. Peter smirked at her. 

"Hey MJ?" She looked up at him with her eyes narrowed. Peter grinned and pulled her towards him by the back of her neck, kissing her firmly. When he pulled away her face was dazed and her eyes were still closed. 

"How's that for balls?" He quipped MJ opened her eyes to roll them at him. She yanked him toward herself by his shirt, kissing him firmly. 

"Excuse me? Can you not get it on in my tower?"


	26. Memories pt4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An-Stephen

"Hey Bruce, Bucky wheeled me here, I still can't get the hang of the wheelchair," Peter said solemnly, awkwardly wheeling into the lab. He looked up while yawning and stopped in his tracks. 

"Oh, sorry I didn't know you have someone you were seeing. I got the right time didn't I?" Peter said nervously. Bruce stood up from his seat behind his desk and walked over to Peter. The man in question had a tunic of and a red cloak cropped greying hair and a beard. 

"No, you got the right time Peter. I called Stephen here to see if he could help with your hands." Burce said, Peter narrowed his eyes. 

"Did I used to know him?" He said, looking up at Bruce, who cringed and nodded. The man made him feel excited and happy, energetic and safe.

"Yeah, you can into him a couple of times as Spider-Man," Bruce said, Peter nodded and looked back at the man. 

"Well, I'm Peter, but you probably know that. But It feels weird if I don't introduce myself." Peter said awkwardly. The man smiled lightly and nodded at him. 

"That's ok Peter, I'm Doctor Stephen Strange." He said, standing up and walking towards Peter who blinked several times. 

"You don't really look like a doctor, no offence. You look like a sorcerer." Peter said suspiciously. Stephen blinked and then burst into laughter. Peter narrowed his eyes and rocked back and forth in his wheelchair. Nervous habit. 

"Did I say something funny?" He asked nervously. Stephen composed himself and then look back up at Peter. 

"No Peter, you didn't do say anything funny, just something from the past," Stephen said. Peter's face morphed into a frown, everyone said that now. 

"So um, Bruce said you can help with my hands?" Peter asked hesitantly, putting his hands in his lap. Stephen nodded, pulling his slightly shaky hand out from behind his back. 

"Mine used to shake as much as yours do now, but with time and patience they can get better," Stephen said gently, Peter nodded. 

"Ok. That sounds goods." Peter saif tightly. In reality, he didn't really want to be there, he didn't want to think about his hands, and he didn't want to be in the med-bay. 

"We don' have to do it today if you don't want to?" Stephen said gently, Peter just shrugged in response. 

"I'll leave you two," Bruce said with an encouraging smile. He closed the door with a soft click. Stephen sighed. 

"You want to sit on the couch or something?" He asked gently, Peter nodded and little and shakily wheeled himself over to the couch, it was a straight line so he was fine. He somewhat easily manoeuvred himself onto the couch and sighed as he leaned back into it. Stephen sat next to him with a sigh. Peter was staring off into space, Nat said he needed to stop doing that. 

"I was scared when I first came out of surgery. My whole life was my hands. And then it wasn't." Stephen said softly, Peter hummed. 

"So was mine. Spider-Man can't not use his hands, he can't not use his legs. Peter Parker can't either. Peter Parker was supposed to become valedictorian, Peter Parker was supposed to go to college and be the one person everyone knew would succeed." Peter said softly. He rubbed his forefinger and thumb against each other. 

"But now I don't see a future with me in it," Peter said softly, Stephen barely heard him. 

"Peter, you have to know that the future will welcome you no matter what. You are an extraordinary boy. You are Peter Parker, strong, confident, witty, smart, kind, caring, courageous. Nothing will take that away." Stephen said, Peter nodded, hastily wiping his tears away. 

"I guess I'm just really scared. I just wish everything could go back to the way it was before. When I could remember, when I could walk, when I could be effortlessly me." Peter said, tears slipping out of his eyes faster. Stephen hummed and wrapped his arm around Peter's shoulder. 

"Sometimes what we wish for can't come true," Stephen said, Peter nodded. He frowned when he felt something wrapping around his torso. He looked behind him and saw Stephen's cloak wrapped around him. 

"This isn't some weird sorcerer thing?" Peter asked nervously, Stephen chuckled beside him. 

"No, that's Levi. The mind of his own." He said, Peter nodded, smiling down at the cloak who looked like he was nuzzling into his hip.

"I guess I used to know you too." He said quietly, Levi just responded by nuzzling further into his side. 

"Slow down buddy, you gotta buy me dinner before you get handsy," Peter muttered, Levi responded by flinging off Stephen's shoulders and flapping at Peter. Peter's smile faltered and dropped, slowly leaning back into the couch. 

_"Oh my God! You're doctor Stephen Strange! I wanted to be like you when I grew up! You were like the best neurosurgeon in the world!"_

_"Mr Stark says you're a wizard but if he looked at the magic style and the runes he'd see that you're a sorcerer, but he did the same thing when he found out about my DNA. He was all like it's just a spider, and I was like no it's a wolf spider, there's a difference......"_

_"Wow! That's like that game called portal!"_

_"Woah! You can go from the ceiling?!"_

_"Uh, Mr Strange? Your cape is kinda handsy."_

_"Wow, Levi I cannot believe you would say that. *flapping noises* NO way!"_

_"Cool! I can't believe you have like a force of the universe as a piece of jewellery."_

_"So is the tunic thing like aesthetic or can you not do magic without it?"_

_"NO! I do not need my temperature checked! I'm fine!"_

_"No Levi you cannot come home with me. No Levi, Stephen will be very upset with you. Ok, one last cuddle."_

_"This is insane! Your libraries massive!"_

_"Please tell me you've read Harry Potter......"_

_"You are unbelievable, you snitched?! I trusted you. I just wanted a broken rib fixed up and to be on my merry way but no!"_

Peter blinked several times at Levi who was flapping at him frantically. Peter grinned and pet him lightly. 

"Nevermind, you can be handsy Levi," Peter mumbled tiredly. Stephen chuckled beside him. Peter turned to him sharply. 

"You are such a snitch." He said, his eyes narrowed. Stephen quietened. 

"But I forgive you if you hug me," Peter said, tears slipping out of his eyes. Stephen rushed to envelope Peter in a strong hug. 

"Missed me huh?" Stephen said quietly. Peter nodded into his shoulder, smiling. 

"Yeah. You were always there for me when I felt like no one was." He said softly, Stephen hummed. Levi flapped disapprovingly. Peter grinned and waved him into the hug. 

"I missed you too Levi, no one gives hugs like you." He said quietly, sniffling hard. 

"You're a fighter Peter. You'll make it." Stephen said softly, Peter nodded. 

"With everyone's help." He said softly, Stephen hummed. 

"With everyone's help."


	27. Condoms

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An-Tony finds out Peter's having sex and he loosing it

Tony didn't mean to start snooping, but Peter had been sneaking in and out of the tower saying he was going to a friends house. But why go to a friends house with your backpack? He found the offending backpack stashed under Peter's bed. When he opened it was almost empty, except for a chapter book and a few pens. Tony rose an eyebrow as he ruffled through the front pocket. His eyes widened when he pulled out a line of condoms, a bottle of lube and a packet of tissues.

He stood up with the offending items, fuming. He held them tightly in his hands and stormed into the lounge room where Peter was sitting with the rest of the team. He slammed them down on the coffee table and looked at Peter expectantly. Peter's face immediately flushed and opened and closed his mouth.

"Care to explain why I found these in your backpack?" Tony fumed, Peter blinked several times.

"Jesus Tony you went through my bag?!" Peter said incredulously. Tony nodded, Peter suddenly jumped up and slammed his open book down on the items.

"Peter, explain," Tony said firmly. Peter blinked several times.

"I don't need to explain shit to you! You went through my stuff!" Peter responded. Tony rolled his eyes.

"I'm your guardian! You have to tell me!" Tony said firmly, Peter blinked.

"This is exactly why I didn't tell you, Tony!" Peter said back, Tony blinked several times.

"Tell me what exactly?" Tony asked, Peter groaned.

"That I'm having sex! Why is that such a bad thing? Oh no a teenager is having sex! Big surprise!" Peter said, throwing his hands up in the air.

"So that's where you've been sneaking off to after school?" Tony said quietly. Peter scoffed.

"Of course it is. I wasn't gonna tell you because you were gonna freak out like you do about everything new I do!" Peter explained. Tony sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"At least I'm having safe sex," Peter said quietly. Tony nodded.

"Look Pete I'm not mad that you've been having sex. I'm mad because you've been keeping it from me. We promised no secrets." Tony said, Peter reddened.

"Oh, I'm sorry I don't exactly want to tell my dad I'm having sex. That's kinda really embarrassing." Peter said quietly. Tony sighed.

"When did, when did you um, start having sex," Tony said awkwardly, Peter blinked.

"We are really gonna talk about this in front of the Avengers?" Peter said incredulously.

"Yes peter, it's what you get for keeping this from me." Tony said. Peter groaned a slumped into the couch.

"Sixteen." Peter said quietly. Tony blinked.

"Pete that's way too young, the age of consent in New York is seventeen." Tony said, Peter groaned again.

"Ok, and how old were you when you first had sex?" Peter said smugly. Tony blinked several times and reddened.

"Touché," Tony said, neither of them noticed Clint peeling back the book Peter had put over the items.

"Jesus! Apparently you're packing Pete!" Clint exclaimed, Peter's eyes bulged out of his head. He scrambled forward to press the book back over the items.

"And where did you get lube?" Natasha asked, Peter reddened and stayed on his knees pressing the hook down.

"You do not need to know that." Peter said quietly.

"Are you using the right lube?" Steve asked firmly, Peter blushed even darker.

"Yes, water-based so it doesn't eat through the commons," Peter said awkwardly. Steve nodded and leaned back into the couch.

"How do you know that?" Bucky asked, Peter smirked.

"The internet. It's very useful you know." Peter said, Bucky rolled his eyes and leaned into the couch with Steve.

"So are the girls using contraceptives? Cause you can never be too sure." Sam said, Peter reddened.

"Who said I was having sex with girls." He said quietly. Sam blinked and reddened, leaning back into the couch.

"So the condoms aren't yours then?" Natasha asked, Peter looked down at the floor.

"No they are mine, but I don't use them often," Peter said offhandedly. Natasha smirked.

"Okay! Okay! No more talking about my sons sex life!" Tony shouted. Peter nodded thankfully.

"So what now?" Peter said awkwardly.

"Is it casual sex or a relationship?" Tony asked.

"Kinda a relationship," Peter said quietly. Tony smirked.

"You can keep up with your shinanigans, just keep an open-door policy, and I want to meet him." Tony said, Peter nodded, awkwardly picking him the items and closing them in his book.

"Okay cool, I'll let him know," Peter said awkwardly, holding the book behind his back.

"Is that code for asking if you can go over to his house?" Tony asked, eyebrow raised.

"Maybe," Peter said with a small grin.

"Ew." Tony said but then waved a hand lazily, "But sure, be make by morning, and if you need a ride call happy." Tony said, Peter shrugged.

"Already have a ride, he's got a car," Peter said as he walked out of the room.

"Oh! So he's got money?" Tony teased, Peter turned sharply to Tony.

"You are so annoying, dad." He said, walking out of the room swiftly. Tony stared after him.

"Did he just call me dad?"


	28. Queer Prom

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An-Prom gets announced and Peter finds out two guys can't go together and he's pissed

When Peter stormed into the training rooms and slammed his backpack onto one of the seats everyone jumped. Peter struggled off his jumper and threw it at his backpack, pulling off his collared T-shirt. He pulled out his gym shorts from his bag and stormed off into the bathrooms, slamming the door shut after himself.

"It's only midday," Steve commented, Tony hummed.

"May just shot me a message, something's going on with Peter and she wants to know what." He said, putting down his phone. Peter slammed back open the bathroom door and stomped back over to his backpack, shoving his jeans into his bag, muttering darkly.

"You ok Peter?" Bucky asked, Peter sighed and looked up at Bucky briefly.

"No. I'm angry. I'm mad. I'm sad. And I need to use the punching bag before I punch _someone_." Peter said firmly, Bucky nodded and made way for Peter, who stood in front of the punching bag wrapping his hands. Steve had taught him how to wrap his hands and use the punching bag. Peter was strong enough, just needed the rhythm.

"Okay, why are you angry, and mad, and sad?" Natasha asked, Peter hit the bag twice as hard as normal in response.

"I got suspended," Peter said blunty, his eyes not looking away from the bag.

"Since when did Peter Parker get suspended," Clint asked, coming up behind Peter as well. Peter pressed his lips into a thin line.

"Since today," Peter said quietly. Clint rose an eyebrow.

"Peter, you've never got in trouble like this before, what did you do?" Tony asked, Peter shrugged.

"I talked back. Someone said something I didn't like, I talked back and I did a little yelling and swearing." Peter explained, Tony paled.

"You didn't hit anyone did you?" Tony asked urgently, Peter paused to star at Tony.

"No _Tony,_ I didn't hit anyone. You really think that low of me?" Peter said, turning back to the punching bag.

"Who did you yell at?" Sam asked with a smirk, Peter huffed.

"The principal." He said, usually when peter said something like that he would be grinning.

"Jesus kid why the hell did you yell at the principal?" Tony asked incredulously, Peter huffed.

"He said something I didn't like," Peter said, hitting the back hard again. Tony muttered something, Peter caught it though.

"Well, maybe you don't know me tony. Why does everyone think they know me? Why do you think everyone _has_ to know me?" Peter said, dropping his fists.

"What does that mean?" Tony asked softly, Peter threw his hands up into the air.

"I'm not a baby anymore Tony. I have thoughts and opinions, I get to make decisions for me now and I'm sick of everyone making them for me." Peter said, tears were gathering in his eyes.

"Peter what did the principal say?" Wanda asked, Peter let out a cry and pressed his knuckles into his eyes, then dropping them.

"The student body announced prom, and the principal said that same-sex couples weren't allowed to attend," Peter said quietly.

"Pete, I get that you want everyone to have the same rights as you but you aren't gay," Rhodey said, Peter turned to him.

"And what if I was? Would that be so bad?" Peter said, tears streaming down his face.

"What? No, Peter why would-" Clint asked Peter cut him off.

"Because everyone says it's bad! Everyone treats it like it's something that needs to be hidden and, and destroyed. And, and I'm sick of it!" Peter shouted, Clint blinked several times in response.

"Peter no ones saying that here. We aren't everyone." Tony said gently. Peter looked up at him and shrugged.

"Tony. I'm gay. And I'm mad, and I'm angry." Peter said firmly, Tony nodded.

"And you have the right to be. But I think I can do something to help."

\----------------------

"I Tony Stark, am holding New York's first Queer Prom for ages thirteen to nineteen. The tickets are free, catering is free, as well as music and other activities. It is a place for you to be who you are and love who you want." Tony said proudly, Peter was standing awkwardly next to him, they'd planned the whole night by themselves. 

"Mr Stark! What inspired you to hold this Queer Prom?" A reporter shut, thrusting forward her mic. Tony and Peter locked eyes, Peter shrugged and nodded. 

"Peter Parker," Tony gestured to Peter next to him, "Is my personal intern. When he came to lab day in an extremely bad mood I was immediately worried, as I have never seen him express his anger in such an aggressive manner. He informed me that his school would not be allowing same-sex couples to attend his prom." Tony said simply. 

"Why was Mr Parker so outraged?" Another reporter asked, Tony and Peter locked eyes for a moment again, Tony gestured for Peter to take the stand. 

"I'm gay. And no one knew that until now. Although I wasn't out at school it outraged me because even if I was out I would not have the option to bring someone to my school prom that I love and care about." Peter said, The reporter nodded and looked up again. 

"Is there anyone you love and care about that you will be bringing to the Queer Prom?" She asked, Peter blinked several times before blushing darkly. 

"Yes." He said blunty, stepping back off the podium for Tony to step back up. Tony grinned knowingly at Peter and stepped back up to the podium. Peter was pretty sure that Tony already knew who he was bringing.


	29. Muzzle

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An-Peter is recovered from HYDRA and he's in a muzzle, Bucky volunteers to get it off him

"This is Peter," Hill said quietly. The whole team was gathered in the viewing room watching the boy. He couldn't be older than fourteen, brown shaggy curly hair, deep brown eyes, pale skin, small hands. The one thing that didn't make sense was the muzzle around his lower jaw. It was like the mask Bucky had worn as the winter soldier but bulkier and clearly heavier. It wrapped around the back of his neck and locked around his ears. The boy was pressing his palms into the bottom of it, trying to push it off him, trying to dig his fingers into the top of it to get it off. He was pressed into the corner of the room, tears streaming down his face, he was letting out whimpers and whines.

"Did you put him in the muzzle?" Bucky seethed, he'd seen those muzzles before, and he would not stand by and watch SHIELD use them. Hill shook her head extremely fast. 

"No, of course not. He was in it when he found him." Hill said firmly, Bucky nodded and let out a shaky breath. He'd never had one but he'd seen what they did. 

"Where did you find him?" Steve asked, looking closer. The boy was still pressing his palms against the bottom of the muzzle, trying to push it or dislodge it. 

"We did a raid on a HYDRA base. The only thing left was him and his file." She said, Bucky's make straightened suddenly. 

"What?" He asked urgently, Hill blinked in surprise, "Repeat that, how _exactly_ did you find him?" Bucky asked urgently. 

"He was still in his cell, they'd unlocked his chains and the file was stuck to his door." She said, Bucky blinked at the boy in the room. He swore and slammed a hand down on the table.

"What does that mean Bucky?" Natasha asked, Bucky leaned closer to the window. 

"He refused to kill and to hurt. They left him because he was no use to him. It means that no matter how much they tortured him, starved him, denied him sleep and water, he refused to do as he was told." Bucky said softly, he didn't even understand how the boy was still standing. 

"That makes sense now." Hill said quietly, Bucky looked up at her. She sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose.

"When we found him he started pushing us away, he wasn't aggressive or screaming or anything really, he just pushed everyone away. He could understand us and respond, but he wouldn't let anyone come near him." She explained, Bucky nodded. 

"He thought you were trying to get him to hurt you," Bucky said softly, Hill nodded. Tony leaned closer to the window. 

"Is the muzzle hurting him?" He asked, Bucky nodded. The boy was louder now, you could hear him clearly through the one-way window. He was still clawing at the mask. 

"Yes, it's tightened so he can't talk, eat or drink. When I was in HYDRA they'd just started putting blades inside them. Basically every time the muzzle moves it cuts him." He said, Tony rose an eyebrow. 

"Then why's he moving?" He asked, Bucky narrowed his eyes. 

"Look at where he's looking. Through the glass, he knows there's someone in here. I think he's asking us to take it off." Bucky said, he looked at Hill. 

"Get it off him and up to Medical." She said firmly, Bucky nodded. 

"He's gotta be enhanced, I need Natasha and Steve. I know how to get the muzzle off but he might be strong enough to push us away." Bucky said. The two nodded curtly and followed Bucky into the room. The boy looked up at them when they entered and pressed impossibly closer to the wall. He started shaking his head when Bucky stepped forward. Bucky raised his hands in defeat. 

"I'm not going to hurt you, and I'm not going to make you hurt anyone. I won't make you do anything you don't want to. I want to help take the muzzle off." He said gently, the boy stilled and nodded curtly. He flinched when Bucky took a step forward. 

"Okay, I won't move, but can you come towards me?" Bucky asked, Peter took a step forward a few steps, he was at arm's length when he stopped, Bucky nodded encouragingly. 

"You're doing good, but I need you to be closer so I can take it off." Bucky said gently, Peter nodded again and took a few steps forward. Bucky nodded. 

"Okay, that's good. Now I need you to either sit or be on your knees." Bucky said, Peter blinked and looked between Bucky and the floor. 

"Yeah, we'll go on the floor. I'll go first." Bucky said, slowly sitting cross-legged on the floor. Peter looked down at him and slowly followed his lead. Bucky nodded and raised his hand, Peter flinched violently again. 

"It's ok, I'm not gonna hurt you. I need to put my hands behind your neck so I can get the mask off. Is that ok?" Bucky asked, the boy pressed his knees up to his chest and nodded slowly. Bucky slowly put his hands behind Peter's neck, feeling around for the latch. It was specially made so Peter couldn't fit his hands in no matter how much he twisted and wriggled. He released the latch with a loud click. Peter jolted violently, Bucky shushed him. 

"It's ok, the latch it undone but I need to remove it form your ears and mouth still." Bucky said, Peter nodded slowly for him to continue. Bucky slowly moved his handd under Peter's hair and around his ears, he pressed the release, the back half of the muzzle fell to the round, making Peter jolt again. 

"Ok, only one more, I need to get it out of your mouth," Bicky said gently, Peter shook his head no, reaching up to push Bucky's hands away.

"We need to get it out or it will keep hurting you," Bucky said gently, Peter blinked and winced. Bucky nodded. 

"I know it hurts, and if we get it off it'll stop hurting." Bucky insisted. Peter nodded and dropped his hands. Bucky smiled and gently took Peter's chin in his hand, and used his metal hand to grasp the mask. He moved it up, pressed it further onto Peter's face, Peter cried out. 

"I know it hurts but it'll be over in a second, I promise." Bucky insisted, pulling it up and then pulling the mask off. Blood immediately started dripping down Peter's jaw and onto his knees. Bucky watched as the cuts started healing in front of his eye, Peter made a noise of discomfort.

"Okay, I just wanna check that there aren't any parts left in your mouth. Can you open your mouth for me?" Bucky asked, Peter shrugged. He must of had the muzzle on for a long him because he'd forgotten how. Bucky gently opened Peter's jaw himself, looking inside his mouth quickly before closing Peter's jaw. He nodded. 

"Okay, no more parts. It's off now." Bucky said, Peter nodded slowly and reached a hand to try and wipe some of the blood. Bucky pulled his hand away. 

"Your face it gonna be hurting for a while, it's better if you don't touch it with your hands. We can clean up the blood if you let me take your to another room." Bucky said, the boy nodded and squeezed Bucky's hand. 

"Okay, I'm gonna stand up, and help you up. Then, you have to follow me so that you don't get lost." Bucky said, standing up slowly and pulling Peter up off the ground with him. Peter's eyes flickered to Steve and Natasha, who were standing awkwardly in the doorway. Bucky smiled gently. 

"They aren't gonna hurt you, and they aren't gonna make you hurt anyone else. That's Steve, and that's Natasha." He said, pointing to them, Peter nodded and squeezed Bucky's hand. They slowly made their way to Medical, with a few hitches and new people, but Peter was doing well enough. Once they opened the door to the room Bucky sat Peter on one of the beds, which made Peter look extremely uncomfortable. 

"I know, there's a lot to get used to," Bucky said quietly, Peter nodded and watched Bucky pull open one of the draws and pull out cotton swabs and disinfectant. When he opened and cap Peter recoiled and hissed audibly. Bucky blinked in surprise. 

"What's wrong?" Bucky asked, Peter pointed to the bottle, Bucky rose an eyebrow and looked at the label. 

"Peppermint infused?" He asked, Peter nodded. Bucky couldn't help but smile. 

"You don't like peppermint?" He asked, Peter nodded and motioned to scratching his skin, and then wrapped his hand around his throat and motioned squeezing. 

"Oh, you're allergic." Bucky said, Peter pointed to him and nodded. Bucky smiled and put the bottle down, not before re-capping it, and then picking up one of the others. 

"Okay, this ones plain so you should be fine. It'll smell funny though." Bucky said, Peter nodded and watched with narrowed eyes as Bucky soaked and cotton swab in the disinfectant and started wiping away the blood on his face, careful not to press. 

"Okay, you're doing great, just a couple more minutes and your face in clean." Bucky said, Peter nodded mutely. Bucky narrowed his eyes. 

"How long did you have the muzzle on for?" Bucky asked quietly, Peter's eyes widened and then closed. He made a humming noise, he held up four fingers. 

"Four days?" Bucky asked, Peter shook his head. 

"Four weeks?" Peter shook his head again. 

"Four months?" Bucky asked hopefully, Peter closed his eyes and again and shook his head. 

"Four years," Bucky said, Peter nodded slowly, Bucky paused for a moment before continuing with the cleaning. He turned when he heard Natasha riffling through drawers, then pulling out some sweat pants and a shirt. 

"Once you've cleaned up his face get him up to the common rooms and let him have a shower," Natasha said, Bucky rose an eyebrow. 

"But what about Tony?" He asked, Natasha shrugged. 

"I'll deal with it. He can stay in the empty room next to yours and eat with us." Natasha said, Bucky nodded. Then he realised something. 

"How did you eat and drink?" Bucky asked Peter, who pushed his hands away. Bucky watched as Peter lifted his shirt and pointed to a small feeding tube implant. Bucky closed his eyes for a moment and then pushed Peter's shirt back down. The sight made him sick, suncen in stomach and scared up torso. 

"Okay, for now, I'll get someone to get some tube food for you, and then we can do a couple of check-ups to see if you can eat without hurting yourself." Bucky aid gently, Peter nodded and placed his hands in his lap. 

\------------------

Bucky was leaning on the doorframe of Peter's room, watching him snore softly in his sleep. Peter was freezing, so Bucky had pilled on at least ten extra blankets before he stopped shivering. Bucky had had to do the check up on his throat and stomach himself because Peter wouldn't let anyone else touch him. They decided that it would be best to tube feed him for a couple of days before he started eating for real because they needed to work out his metabolism rate and have him gain some weight. 

Peter slept on his side, holding the second pillow to his chest. His face had already full healed, and he had showered. Bucky had had to explain how to shower and use all the different products. Now that Peter's hair was watched it hung past his shoulders, Peter had in his own way asked if Bucky could cut it. Bucky promised he'd cut it tomorrow. 

"Fury says he can stay with us, and Tony is only a little upset," Steve said suddenly from behind him. Bucky turned to him and nodded. 

"That's good," Bucky said softly, Steve nodded and joined him in the doorway. 

"You're good with him you know," Steve said, Bucky hummed in response. In the short time, he'd spent with Peter he'd worked out that he was twelve and his birthday. Bucky had grown a soft spot for him immediately. 

"I know what it's like to not feel safe no matter where you are," Bucky said softly, Steve nodded. 

"You know what it's like to be held by HYDRA," Steve said, Bucky nodded. 

"To an extent. I gave in to the torture and brainwashing. He never did, he experienced things that I had only heard of but never experienced. He's twelve Steve, and they put him in a damn muzzle. A muzzle." Bucky said in frustration. He watched as Peter rolled over slowly and brought his knees up to press against the pillow. 

"I think we both know that HYDRA never had humanity," Steve said softly, Bucky nodded. 

"But a child. I never thought I'd see them do that. I guess I had some hope for them." He said softly, Steve hummed. 

"He'll be ok though, because he has you."


	30. Bail

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An-Tony bails Peter our of hail after he gets into shit with his foster parents.
> 
> Inspired by- Awkward_Loner (On Wattpad)
> 
> TW-Blood, mentions of abuse

"Rise and shine kiddo you got someone to bail you out!" Mandez shouted, Peter jumped so high he fell off the shorty flimsy bed.

"What? But my guardian said they didn't wanna bail me out?" Peter said while rubbing his eyes.

"Well, it's your lucky day then Pete." The officer said, Peter snorted.

"Thank Mandes. I'll see you soon." Peter said, the guard huffed, opening the cell door.

"I better not Pete. You're a good kid. You don't deserve to have your life ruined." He said quietly. Peter rolled his eyes and walked the familiar path to the door to the station. Mandes opened it.

"Who bailed me out anyway? My CPS officer said she wouldn't do it again." Peter said, straightening his jacket.

"You'll see Pete, anyway, get rid of his jacket, it's three sizes too big," Mandes said, Peter huffed.

"It's all I got. You know I always go on the deals with all my clothes, never know if I'm gonna be able to go back and get anything else." Peter said with a huff, tightening his jacket.Mandes handed him a Chinese takeout container. Peter grinned in thanks.

"I know Pete, now get out of here, you got a new guardian," Mandes said, Peter narrowed his eyes.

"Who are they? Another dealer who needs foster kids money?" Peter asked.

"No actually, just a billionaire with goodwill." Came a voice from the station doors. Peter blinked several times in response. Tony Stark has bailed him out of jail. Tony Stark was his new guardian.

"See you next time Mendes," Peter grumbled, The man in question clapped him on the back. Peter narrowed his eyes and sighed his hands into his pockets. Tony gestured to the door and Peter followed him.

"What's your motive? Good PR? Takin' in a foster kid huh?" Peter said, Tony sighed and pushed Peter into a black car with tinted windows.

"Well, a little birdy told me that the neighbourhood Spider-Man was sitting in the local precinct jail," Tony said, Peter huffed looking out the window.

"Good job, you know how to use security cameras," Peter said.

"Indeed I do. Right now we need to get your stuff from your old foster parent." Tony said, Peter huffed, pulling off his backpack and putting it in between Tony and himself.

"That's all I got. Take it with me whoever I leave my house or they sell and break everything." Peter said softly, Tony nodded.

"Okay then Happy, to the compound."

————————————————

"Tony what is a drug dealer doing in the common room." Bruce seethed, Peter looked up at grinned at him.

"He's Spiderman," Tony said simply.

"He's a drug dealer," Steve said.

"Not by choice," Peter said quietly.

"You wanna say that again?" Steve said, Peter stood up.

"Yes. Not. By. Choice. You wanna hear me stay that again Mr America?" Peter asked, Steve stood his ground and hardened his face.

"Yeah? Then why were you dealing drugs?" He asked, Peter's shoulders slumped, he sat back down on the couch and brought his knees up to his chest. He took a sharp breath in and looked out the window.

"I didn't have a choice, he said he'd hurt me if I didn't deal, and he was my last chance before I got sent out of state. He already hurt me, I didn't want to die." Peter said quietly, Steve blinked several times.

"Who said that?" Bucky asked, Peter turned his head to look at Bucky.

"Who do you think?" He said softly, pulling his jacket tighter around himself.

"Your old foster parent," Tony said softly, Peter nodded slowly.

"And your CPS agent didn't do anything?" Clint asked, Peter shrugged.

"No one believed me. Even with the bruises, they stopped healing quickly after a while because they were being inflicted so often. And the guy had a clean record, I was just another drug mule to him. Got a nice paycheck for keeping me alive, not that I really want to be." Peter smiled softly.

"The only person who believed me was officer Mandes. I never used you know, I promised myself I would never ever use. He used to make sure he was the one to pick me up when they got a call about me. Got me clothes when he could, made sure I left with food cause he never feeds me when I get back to the apartment. I can't remember a time when I wasn't hurt real bad." Peter shrugged after again.

"Are you hurt badly now?" Natasha asked, Peter shrugged, pulling back his sleeve to show a cut up and heavily bruised arm that was already healing.

"I didn't want to do the last drop off. I asked if I could go back to school." Peter said softly, Bruce stepped forward to take his arm but Peter pulled back down the sleeve and sat it in his lap.

"You called me a drug dealer. I was a drug mule." Peter said, locking eyes with Bruce.

"Peter, that could be broken, I need to take a look at it," Bruce said firmly, Peter shrugged.

"You aren't touching me," Peter said back, just as firmly.

"Okay, what if we get someone else to look at you?" Tony asked. Peter shook his head.

"I'm not taking my shirt off," Peter said adamantly.

"Okay, you don't need to take your shirt off, we can just lift it." Clint insisted, Peter narrowed his eyes.

"That's called bending the rules," Peter said, Clint shrugged.

"I have kids." He said, Peter narrowed his eyes.

"I can tell."

——————————

"Okay let's get this disinfected before it starts healing over," Cho said, Peter nodded and offered his arm.

"Pretty bad break, you reset it yourself?" She asked, Peter nodded.

"No one else was going to," Peter said quietly, Cho hummed.

"Well, you reset it properly, but we need to do something for the bruising and cuts." She said. Peter nodded and let her do her job. Once she finished on the arm she gestured to his shirt.

"Sorry Cho, we agree he didn't have to take his shirt off. He's gonna hold it up for you." Tony said, Peter lifted his shirt and looked away from her. She drew in a sharp gasp at the sight, mangled skin and bruised. She blinked away the tears and started on cleaning the dried blood away and putting salve on the bruises.

"I can see why your healing isn't working." She said quietly.

"It doesn't work if I have too many injuries, or if my serotonin levels are low. And when I'm dehydrated hungry or tired it doesn't work either." Peter said, Cho nodded.

"Does this hurt?" She asked, wiping some of the blood away. Peter winced.

"Yeah, but into cause, it's just healed. Cuts always heal first." Peter said softly, Cho nodded.

"I'll try to be gentle." She said. After finishing his front off me moved onto his back, and after that, she pulled his shirt back down. Peter blinked and went to grab his jumper but someone had taken it.

"Hey, who took my jumper?" Peter asked accusingly. Natasha raised said jumper in the air.

"I don't think this can be classed as a jumper." She said with a disgusted look. Peter's shoulders slumped again, looking away from her.

"It's all I've got." He said quietly, Natashas face softened as she lowered the jumper.

"That's what I'm here for," Tony said, Peter looked up at him and grinned.

"Who knew that Tony Stark has a heart"

————————————————

Peter stood nervously in the doorway of homeroom class, he was a little late but Tony had wanted to see him off properly.

"Oh, Peter! Principal Morita said we would be seeing you today. Said you've had a long break between being enrolled in school." The teacher said encouragingly. Peter nodded, tugging on the straps of his backpack.

"Would you like to introduce yourself, Peter?" She asked, Peter rose an eyebrow. What was this, the fourth grade? The teacher motioned for him to stand in front of the class, Peter sighed and followed her directions.

"I'm Peter, Peter Benjamin Parker. Any questions?" Peter asked, one kid, rose a hand.

"Didn't I used to go to middle school with you?" She asked, Peter narrowed his eyes and shrugged.

"Probably," Peter said with another shrug.

"Yeah! You're that kid that's aunt and uncle died! You just disappeared one day." Another kid said, Peter shrugged.

"Went into foster care, I had to disappear for a while," Peter said. The teacher stepped forward and pushed peter towards the seats.

"I think that's enough, go sit between Ned and Michelle, they'll take good care of you." She said, Peter nodded and shuffled his way to the seat. He plonked himself down into it and put his bag at his feet.

"So, Peter Parker? Why weren't you at school since middle school?" Michelle said, Peter shrugged.

"I had to disappear." Peter said.

"Mhm, you don't disappear too well, saw you on the news a couple of weeks back."


	31. Memories pt5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An-Rhodey and Natasha

Tony had finally made Peter some basic prosthetics, so that meant Peter had to learn how to use them. Since Stephen had been helping him with his hands he could do a lot more things now. But of course, Rhodey had to pick team training day to teach Peter how to use the prosthetics. Usually, they would do it in the lab, but the training room had a better set up. 

"Remind me why we had to do this today?" Peter whined while putting on the prosthetics. 

"Better set up, plus the team wanted to watch," Rhodey said with a shrug, pulling Peter up and out of the wheelchair and onto the two separate poles parallel to each other. Peter placed a hand on each and sighed. 

"I still think we could have stayed in the lab," Peter said, Rhodey hummed. 

"Maybe, but you need stable surface, not those floors in the lab," Rhodey said, adjusting Peter's grip on the bars. 

"Those floors are a menace on my wheels, way too slippery," Peter said, Rhodey hummed, walking in time with Peter, whos face was crewed up in concentration. 

"That's what I mean, you need a stable surface so that you don't slip," Rhodey said, Peter grunt in response. 

"I know that I just don't like everyone watching me," Peter said quietly, everyone looked away from him after that. After a few back and forths Peter slipped, crumpling to the ground. Everyone was immediately around him and trying to help pull him off the floor. 

"Stop it! I need to learn how to get up by myself!" Peter shouted in frustration. Bucky, Steve and Natasha immediately stepped away from him. They watched as Peter used his upper body strength to pull himself off the floor. 

"I think that's enough for today," Rhodey said gently once he was back on his feet, Peter glared at him. 

"No, I'm gonna keep going." Peter insisted, Rhodey shook his head and grabbed Peter's arm. 

"Pete, you're overworking yourself." He said firmly, Peter's mind blanked as he crumpled again, the bar wedged under his armpits. 

"Peter! Peter buddy what's wrong?!" Bucky shouted, Bruce rushed forward. 

"He's remembering, get him sitting Bucky," Bruce shouted, Peter drowned out the rest of the conversation.

_"So you're my dad's best friend?"_

_"Wow! You're in the airforce?!"_

_"Yeah, I backward engineered my DNA to isolate the healing properties."_

_"Nah he's been getting better, he got five hours sleep last night."_

_"Woah, dad told me about your suit but it's so wicked in person."_

_"I can't believe my uncle is the War Machine."_

_"No, this is not what it looks like, I am totally not Spider-Man."_

_"No, you do not need to carbon date me."_

_"No, I will not stop with the references."_

_"No, I am not his secret biological child, I'm adopted."_

_"Hey! My dad wishes he looked like me."_

_"I need to ask, why did you name yourself the War Machine?"_

_"No I'm fine, I just need to finish studying for this test and then I'll go to bed."_

_"No Rhodey, I need to study, I don't care if it's one in the morning."_

_"I am not overworking myself."_

Peter blinked in surprise when he found himself on the floor by the base of the bars, someone had taken the prosthetics off for him, he was left sitting on the floor. He shook his head for a moment before looking up at Rhodey. 

"Oh. My. God." Peter breathed, Rhodey chuckled and crouched down next to Peter. 

"You okay?" Rhodey asked gently, Peter nodded fast. 

"Way more than okay. Way, way, way, way more then ok. Jesus Christ sit and hug me." Peter demanded, Rhodey chuckled and sat down next to Peter, who practically melted into his side. 

"Thank you for always looking out for me Uncle Rhodey. I love you." Peter said quietly, Rhodey nodded, running a hand through Peter's hair. 

"That's my job as the favourite uncle bud. I love you too." Rhodey said, Peter looked up at him and narrowed his eyes. 

"You only have that title because I don't remember anyone else." 

\-----------------------------

"No prosthetics?" Bucky asked, Peter shrugged. 

"Still haven't gotten the hang of it," Peter said, wheeling into the kitchen and frowning when he couldn't reach over the counter he turned sharply to Tony. 

"Curse you and your abnormally high counters," Peter said with narrowed eyes. Tony cracked and smile and got up. 

"What do you want?" Tony asked, Peter huffed, moving out of the way so Tony could get to the counter. 

"I was gonna make toast," Peter grumbled. 

"I'll get you a juice," Clint said, Peter was about to protest but he just sighed and leant back into his wheelchair. Tony set the toast in front of him, Peter rose an eyebrow. Hos did he know how Peter liked it?

"I used to make your toast a lot when you were too tired to in the morning," Tony said with a shrug. Peter nodded. Clint came over with the glass, Peter saw it in slow motion as he tripped on Sam's foot, sending the orange juice flying. Peter frowned when it landed on him, he looked up at Sam and Clint with an unamused face. 

"Really? Now my toast is ruined." Peter grumbled, Natasha snorted. 

"Let's get you changed," Natasha said, taking hold of the handles on the back of the wheelchair. Peter went to wheel himself but Natasha stopped him. 

"No, I'm wheeling you to your room and you aren't gonna do anything about it." She said firmly, Peter stuck his bottom lip out in a pout but let her steer him. She stopped outside his door to open it, then wheeling him in. 

"You're lucky the juice didn't get on the chair." She mumbled, Peter chuckled. 

"Yeah, Tony would kill me," Peter said, Natasha hummed, stopping in front of his bed. 

"No, I think he would kill Clint and Sam." She said, Peter nodded. Natasha opened his drawers and searched for a shirt. She then pulled out some more shorts and put them on the bed. 

"Let's get the bandages off first." She said quietly, Peter's eyes widened in alarm. He shook his head and raised his arms in defence. 

"No! No! We can't take the bandages off!" He exclaimed, Natasha rose an eyebrow. 

"Bruce said you were all healed, Peter." She said confusedly, peter avoided her eyes. 

"They're not there because I'm hurt." He said quietly, Natasha crouched so she was eye level with him. 

"Then why are they there?" She asked gently, Peter sniffed. 

"I don't like the scars they gave me." He said softly, Natasha sighed, taking his sticky hands in her own. 

"Peter, everyone has scars. Even I do." She said gently, pulling up her shirt to show her midsection which was covered in crisscrossing scars of different sizes. Peter's eyes widened. 

"I thought I was the only one." He said softly, she shook her head and slowly unwrapped the bandages. Peter froze, closing his eyes tightly at the pain shooting through his head. 

_"Woah! I'm fighting the Black Widow!"_

_"Big fan miss Romanoff!"_

_"Wow! I just got pinned by the black Widow!"_

_"It's not weird, she's like my childhood hero."_

_"My Aunt May loves you by the way."_

_"Spider family!"_

_"How about I call you mama Spider."_

_"Wanna freak the others out and talk Russian?"_

_"Hey, can you help me with this sentence? I can't remember this character."_

_"Wow! You can choke someone with your thighs?! You have to teach me!"_

_"And you're sure ballet will help with my balance?"_

_"I am not wearing a leotard!"_

_"I can't believe you got me in a leotard..."_

_"Nat, I'm fine, I'm not hot I swear."_

_"NO! Don't pull my sleeves up!"_

Peter took in a shaky breath now that Natasha had the bandages off. He looked up at her, she'd paused when she realised he was remembering. He cried out and tugged Natasha into his chest by her hands. He immediately started crying into her shoulder. 

"Oh, Peter." She whispered, Peter sniffled into her hair. 

"Natasha, Natalia, fuck, Nat, Tasha, Mama Spider, you're here, and I remember. Nat, you're here." Peter whispered into her hair. She hummed and started rubbing his back soothingly. 

"I'm here, I'm here. I'm not leaving Peter, not now not ever." She whispered back. 

"I could remember the self-harm you know, but the scars they gave me made it worse." He whispered, Natasha nodded. 

"It took me weeks to convince you to stop wearing long sleeves." She said back, Peter sniffled and nodded. Peter pulled back and cringed. 

"I got you all sticky." He said sadly, Natasha rolled her eyes. 

"Yeah, but you remember me, so I don't mind." She said softly.

If the team saw Peter without his bandages, they didn't say anything, they also didn't mention his scars.


	32. Drugs!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An-"Peter what are you doing int here?" "Drugs!" Quote
> 
> Peter and Harley are caught by Tony (This ones short but I love it)

Peter and Harley were currently on their knees, bare chests pressed together, fumbling with each others belt buckles. We can't forget that they were fivisherly kissing each other, cheeks flushed red, eyes pressed closed and hair stuck to their skin with sweat.

"Peter what are you doing in there?" Tony shouted from the other side of the door. Peter pushed away from Harley and panicked.

"I, Uh, um, Drugs!" Peter lied, Harley made an unimpressed noise just as Tony slammed open the door. Tony paled when he saw Harley and Peter on Peter's bed. 

"So Harley is drugs?" Tony asked in amusement. Peter blushed darkly, buckling his belt and scrambling for his shirt that was thrown of the bed in the heat of the moment. Harley was following him, but more lazily.

"Well I can't get enough of him, and he always leaves me wanting more so maybe he is," Peter said nervously, Harley smirked from the other side of the bed, running a hand through his hair. 

"Sure Pete, sure. I was going to ask what you wanted for dinner but you seem content with eating Harley's face instead." Tony said with a cocked eyebrow. He turned to leave the room but Peter shouted after him. 

"Can we have Chinese?!"


	33. Memories pt6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> AN-His bio parents, May and Ben (In this one it's a mix of things they've said to Peter, and thing's he's said to them)

Peter was sitting with the rest of the team watching Harry Potter, it was fun enough, but Peter's mind kept wandering to four graves. He didn't know why, but he knew they were important. He also knew it had something to do with his Uncle Ben and Aunt May, everyone told him stories but he didn't remember them. He turned his head tapped Bucky. 

"Can we stop the movie for a minute?" Peter whispered, Bucky nodded a reached for the remote, clicking pause. Everyone groaned and looked at Bucky and Peter. 

"You ok kiddo? You remembering someone?" Tony asked hopefully, Peter's face screwed up. 

"I'm not sure. I keep getting flashes of memories with these graves. When I was younger there only used to be two, but then something happened and there were three, and then again there were four. I used to go every holiday to visit them with someone, but I think they're in the graves now." Peter said in confusion. 

"I think I know what graves you're talking about," Pepper said quietly, Peter looked up at her. 

"I think I should go to see them." He said firmly, everyone exchanged glanced and shook their heads no. 

"Peter, some very important people to you are in those graves, I don't think you're ready for that," Bruce said gently, Peter narrowed his eyes. 

"If they're important to me I want to remember them. They don't deserve to be in those graves with no one to remember them."

\-------------

Peter's breath automatically hitched as Bucky wheeled him into the graveyard. It was Christmas, it had snowed that morning so Peter had piled on as many layers as he could. Even though he was in a graveyard he couldn't help the feelings of comfort and peace. Bucky stopped in front of four graves and sighed, sitting next to Peter. Peter reached down for the Bouquet and put it in the middle of all four graves. 

There were other people there, at the graveyard, but they didn't seem bothered by Peter and Bucky's presence. Peter stared at the graves, but he couldn't remember the people in them. He had a stupid blanket draped over his legs and he felt like a widow. He was frustrated, he was supposed to remember these people but couldn't. Wouldn't they be so proud of him now? 

"You okay Peter?" Bucky asked gently, Peter sighed, rubbing his hands together. Then it suddenly clicked, he used to touch the tombstones. Peter shakily took off one glove and dumped it on his lap. 

"Why are you taking your glove off? It's freezing out." Bucky said, Peter made a shushing noise and wheeled himself so he could place a hand on the first tombstone. He closed his eyes tightly, letting out a shaky breath. 

_"How about we name you Peter after my father, and Benjamin after your uncle little guy?"_

_"Come on Peter, just say dada, there you go move your mouth like that."_

_"Dada!"_

_"Come to daddy Peter! I know you can do it!"_

_"Mary look! He's taking his first steps!"_

_"Come on Peter, you gotta eat your Veggies if you wanna be big and strong."_

_"Like daddy?"_

_"I wanna be like my daddy when I grow up! He's a scientist and he has a lab in the basement!"_

_"Daddy look! I drew you and Mister Osborn!"_

_"Woah! Daddy look at all the pretty spiders!"_

_"Lookie daddy! Mummy and I saved a birdy!"_

_"Wow, daddy look at Iron-Man!"_

_"I'm gonna be a superhero when I grow up!"_

_"You sure are buddy."_

_"Why do you have to go daddy? It's almost Christmas."_

_"I'm sorry buddy, but some very dangerous people are looking for mummy and daddy, and we want to keep you safe. We're gonna go in one of those big planes."_

_"The ones that make lots of noise?"_

_"Yeah, buddy, those ones."_

Peter blinked back the tears gathering in his eyes, he lightly traced the inscription on the tombstone.

_Richard Parker, lover, fighter, brother, son, father. His scientific endeavours will never be forgotten._

"Bucky, he's gone. Oh my god. It's like I'm grieving all over again. He's gone Bucky, and I have so many questions I want to ask him." Peter whispered Bucky quickly stood up from his place.

"I know Peter, I know. But you're ok, and he's ok. He was happy, he was so so so happy to have you in his life, I know it." Bucky said softly, Peter nodded. He reached for the second graved, closing his eyes tightly again. 

_"Oh he's so beautiful Richard, just look at him. What's his name?"_

_"Oh you're so tiny honey, you and I are gonna have to stay int he hospital for a while until you get bigger."_

_"Oh sweetie, come here, let's get that vomit cleaned up and you in a new shirt."_

_"May look at him, he's such a handsome little boy."_

_"We want to name you Godparents, in the event we die, you take him."_

_"Here comes the aeroplane Peter!"_

_"Aw honey, come here, it's just a scraped knee, you're ok."_

_"Mumma!"_

_"Oh Richard, he said my name."_

_"Mummy! Look! I drew a picture! That's me, daddy, you, Aunty May and Uncle Ben!"_

_"Why you gotta go? We were gonna make cupcakes mummy."_

_"I love you, mummy, please come back soon."_

Peter couldn't stop the tears flowing down his cheeks, he blinked several times and closed his eyes again. 

"She promised she'd come back and she never did." He whispered. He squeezed his eyes shut tightly.

"Is it wrong?" Peter asked softly, turning to look at Bucky, sniffling.

"Is what wrong?" Bucky asked softly, Peter sighed.

"That I'm mad? That I'm so so so mad. Because she promised she's come back and she didn't. She left me." Peter said softly.

"It's okay to be mad because you miss her. You miss her so much that you can't feel anything other than anger, but you aren't really angry at her. You're angry because she was taken away from you, angry that she won't be coming back. Because you love her." Bucky said softly, Peter sniffled and nodded. He traced the engravings.

_Mary Parker. Lover, fighter, mother, daughter, sister. The love and care she treated the world with will never be forgotten._

He moved his wheelchair again so he was in between the last two graves and sighed, they made his heart twinge painfully. He placed a have on the one to his left, his breath hitching and his eyes closing.

_"My daddy says you're my uncle Ben! I'm named after you?"_

_"Wow! You have a cool hat!"_

_"You wanna watch Star Wars Peter buddy?"_

_"I like Star Wars! It's cool!"_

_"Do they not love me, uncle Ben? Mummy said she'd come back."_

_"Can I have a hug uncle Ben?"_

_"You can have as many hugs as you want Peter."_

_"You're a Minnie me Peter, Benjamin junior."_

_"Benny! Come here, Aunty May and I got you a present."_

_"Woah! A real-life light Sabre!"_

_"Hey, uncle Ben, what if I don't make friends?"_

_"How was your day of middle school Benny buddy?"_

_"It was great uncle Ben! I made a friend! His name is Ned and he likes Star Wars!"_

_"You promise you'll be at my middle school graduation?"_

_"No, no Ben you can't go, you can't go, you gotta stay alive Ben please please don't leave me. You gotta watch me graduate middle school and go to midtown, and watch me be an asshole teenager. Ben please you can't go."_

_"Benny Buddy, you gotta listen to me, I love you and May with all my heart. And I never stopped loving you. Peter, you have to look after May for me, and never forget that with great power comes great responsibility."_

Peter's pulled his hand away from the grave and held it to his chest. His breathing picked up, all that blood, the bullet, everyone was too much.

"There was so much blood," Peter whispered, Bucky's head snapped up to look at Peter's pale face. His expression was twisted in pain and sadness.

"Peter are you okay?" Bucky asked gently, Peter shook his head, his chin resting on his chest and eyes squeezed shut.

"I was there when he died, he jumped in front of me, and I held him while he bled out. He was so alive, and then he wasn't." Peter explained, Bucky nodded, rubbing Peter's back.

"Oh, Peter. You're ok, and he's ok. He's in a safe place, and he's always gonna be safe." Bucky said softly, Peter sniffled and nodded slowly. Peter looked up and blinked away his tears.

_Ben Parker. Lover, fighter, Brother, uncle, husband. He never second-guessed putting his life on the line for someone else's._

Peter shakily placed his hand on the last grave, taking in a sharp breath of air and closing his eyes, humming lightly.

_"Hi Peter, I'm your Aunty May."_

_"I missed you Aunty May! I'm a big boy now! I'm four whole years old!"_

_"Aunty! Aunty! Lookie what I drew!"_

_"You're so pretty Aunty May, why do you wear makeup?"_

_"Cause it makes my natural pretty more pretty Petey baby."_

_"Then why doesn't Uncle Ben wear makeup?"_

_"You wanna do some craft Aunty May?"_

_"Woah! You're a nurse! You save people! You're a real-life superhero!"_

_"Neddie said he got a new LEGO set, his mum said I can come over if I'm allowed."_

_"Woah, auntie May! You made my costume all by yourself?! That's so cool!"_

_"Hey May? I got beaten up, and I'm scared."_

_"Oh, Peter honey come here."_

_"May? Where do people go when they die?"_

_"They go to the stars Petey baby. They're the brightest and biggest stars. Your parents are up there, and so is Ben now."_

_"I larb you Aunt May."_

_"May, I lost the Stark internship."_

_"May, I love you so so much. I will never ever ever forget you. You always took care of me, I larb you May."_

Peter slowly withdrew his hand from the tombstone, the cold lingering on his skin. He slowly reached into his lap, sliding back on his glove shakily.

_May Parker, lover fighter, aunt, sister, wife. She always saw the best in people no matter what_

Peter threaded his fingers together and sniffled. Those feels of loneliness, anger, sadness and abandonment made sense now. All those memories and feelings that we're crashing down on him.

"I miss them so much," Peter whispered. Bucky hummed, pulling Peter into a firm hug.

"I know Pete, I know. But you're ok. You're ok. We are all here for you, all of us." Bucky said soothingly. 

"Merry Christmas Bucky." Peter said softly 

"Yeah, Merry Christmas Pete."


	34. Memories pt7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An-Tony

Peter was sitting with Tony in the lab, he was only doing his school work. Even though tony trusted him to help him with his work, Peter still didn't trust his hands. The thing about the graves was bugging him, if Rhodey Bruce Steve and Bucky were his uncles and Natasha was his aunt who were his parents? He'd asked Rhodey if he knew Richard and Mary and he said he didn't, so who were his parents really.

"Hey, Tony?" Peter asked, Tony knew everything, Peter was used to that.

"What's up Pete?" Tony asked, turning in his chair so he was facing Peter.

"Did you know my parents?" Peter asked. He didn't miss the wince that crosses Tony's face.

"Yeah, yeah I did," Tony said quietly, Peter rose an eyebrow.

"If they're dead how did you know them? You didn't know me until I was fifteen." Peter said, Tony read a hand up to pinch the bridge of his nose.

"It's not that simple Kid," Tony said firmly. Peter's breath caught in his throat, he vaguely resisted going stiff and falling out his chair and Tony rushing the help him up.

_"Wow! Aunty May look! It's Iron Man!"_

_"Good job kid."_

_"What are you doing here Mr Stark?"_

_"When you can do the things I can, and then the bad things happen, they happen because of you."_

_"The suits great Mr Stark!"_

_"I'm not done, I'm not done."_

_"Stay down! Or I'll call Aunt May!"_

_"Are you driving?"_

_"None of this would have happened if you had just listened to me!"_

_"I wanted to be like you!"_

_"And I wanted you to be better."_

_"It's not that simple kid!"_

_"Kid! Kid! You gotta wake up! You're gonna be fine! We got the bad guy! We got the Vulture! You did good! I am so proud of you!"_

_"Mr Stark? Why am I in medical?"_

_"Mr Stark. Listen to me, Mr Stark. Tony! Tony! Fucking, Dad! It wasn't your fault! You took the suit because I was being foolish!"_

_"She's dead dad, she's dead."_

_"You're adopting me? Why would you do that?"_

_"Dad look! I got ninety-nine on my physics test!"_

_"Woah! You want me to meet the Avengers? Like as me? As Peter Parker?!"_

_"Hey dad? Can I change my last name to yours?"_

_"Hey Pete, how would you feel if Pepper adopted you?"_

_"I'm gonna have a mum?"_

_"We should throw a party. Why? Cause I officially have the best parents ever."_

_"No Pepper I am not crying."_

_"Make sure you're back by ten Peter! No drinking and swinging!"_

_"You came for me. They said you weren't gonna come. You saved me, dad. You saved me."_

When Peter came too he blinked up at Tony, who was hovering above him worriedly. 

"KId?! Kid?! Are you ok?! Do I need to call Bruce?! Are you having a seizure?!" Tony shouted, tears welled up in Peter's eyes. His bottom lip trembled with the effort not to cry, tears flowing down his cheeks. He let out a choked sob as he pulled Tony on top of himself. 

"I love you so much dad," Peter whispered, Tony froze on top of him, before letting out a cry and hugging Peter tightly. Tony sat up with Peer in his grip, pulling him into his lap. Peter curled up in his arms, sobbing into his chest. 

"Fuck Peter, I love you so much. I love you more then you will ever know, my little Bambino." Tony breathed, Peter just cried harder. 

"You saved me. You saved me from that horrible place. I missed you, oh my god I missed you so much, dad." Peter cried, Tony rubbed his back, swaying Peter in his lap. 

"I would never ever leave you in a place like that Peter," Tony said firmly. Peter nodded slowly, wetting Tony's shirt with his tears. 

"I remember everything. Everything. Everything. Oh god, dad, I'm so sorry for not remembering sooner." Peter cried, Tony shook his head, ducking to kiss Peter's curls. 

"No, no, don't say that." Tony said firmly, placing his hands either side of Peter's face and pulling him back from his chest and looking him in the eyes. Peter's eyes were puffy, his hazel eyes glittered with tears. 

"Peter, nothing ever stopped me from loving you. Even if you had never remembered me I would have never stopped trying, because no matter what you're still my little boy, still my little Peter." Tony said breathlessly, Peter nodded, smiling softly. 

"All the feelings make sense now. They used to scare me because they didn't make sense and I wanted to run away from them. But I don't want to run away from them, because I love you so so so much." Peter said softly, Tony nodded and pulled Peter back into his chest. 

"I am never letting you go ever again," Tony said firmly, circling his arms around Peter's body. 

"Never?" Peter asked, Tony hummed. 

"Never." He confirmed, slowly standing up with Peter still in his arms. 

"Where we goin'?" Peter asked sleepily. Tony knew he was always tired after crying. 

"Bed," Tony said, Peter nodded and curled into Tony's arms further. When they got to Peter's room, TOny carefully dropped Peter on his bed. When he went to leave Peter reached out for him. 

"Stay." Peter pleaded, Tony smiled softly and got into the bed with Peter, pulling the blanket up to their chin. Peter cuddled into his chest, Tony wrapped his arms around him, smiling softly. He ran a hand through Peter's hair, lulling him to sleep.

"I love you, Peter."


	35. My little baby

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An-The team meet Peter and don't believe he's Tony's son. Pre spider bite.

The team stared down at the teenager sleeping on the couch in the common room. He was sprawled out on his back, an arm and a leg hanging off the side of the bed, glasses slipping off his nose slowly, mouth hanging open and letting out quiet snores. He was clutching a book to his chest. His shoes had been pulled off haphazardly and placed by the end of the couch.

"FRIDAY, who is this kid?" Steve asked, the boy mumbled something and shook his head then stilled.

"Peter Benjamin-Edward Stark." FRIDAY answered. Steve blinked in surprise.

"He does kinda look like Tony." Bucky said quietly.

"No way is he Tony's son, look at him. He's as thin as a stick." Clint countered. Natasha narrowed her eyes at him, scanning him up and down.

"He's not unattractive, just needs a growth spurt. He's not overly skinny, look at his arms, he's got a decent amount of muscle." Natasha said. Sam stepped forward and snorted.

"He's got braces glasses and look at his shirt. He's a mega nerd." Sam said with a light chuckle.

"How old do you think he is?" Wanda asked, Natasha leaned over him.

"At least twelve. He's taller then Tony already, if he's Peppers kid that makes sense. But Pepper and Tony weren't together twelve years ago." Natasha said.

"Probably the result of a one night stand." Pietro said.

"FRIDAY where's Peter?" Came Tony's faint voice from the hallway.

"He is in the common room with the rest of the avengers." She answered. They heard Tony running into the room, paleing when he saw the avengers leaning over his sleeping son.

"Why are you watching my son sleep?" Tony asked incredulously.

"We didn't know you had a son," Steve said simply. Tony rolled his eyes and started picking up Peter's pens and highlighters from the coffee table and putting them back in his pencil case, closing his textbook and notebook and putting them in his backpack. When he reached for the chapter book Peter was holding Peter's grip on it tightened, rolling on his side so his back was against the couch. He curled up, hugging the book to his chest.

"He can't be yours though. Look at him." Clint said, gesturing to Peter vaguely. Tony gave him a dirty look and looked down at Peter.

"He is mine, we took countless DNA tests. He has heterochromia, one of his eyes is mine, and the other is green. If he doesn't look like me he made up for it in getting my brain. He does distance education because he's so far ahead of his class." Tony snorted, patting Peter's arm.

"Thirteen and he's graduating high school already. He's even written his early application to MIT." Tony said. Clint narrowed his eyes.

"Don't tell me you're one of those parents." He said, Tony looked up at him in confusion.

"One of what parents?" Tony asked.

"You can't help but boast about your kid." Clint said like it was obvious.

"Oh, he only lets me do that when he's not around. He hates it when I boast about him." Tony said.

"Then there is no way he's yours. No Stark has ever been humble." Natasha said, Tony shrugged.

"He's definitely mine. Got the anxiety and everything." Tony said. He shook Peter slightly who just made a noise and curled into himself more.

"How hasn't he woken up already?" Wanda asked, Tony sighed.

"He can sleep through literally anything. Except this." Tony said, jabbing his finger in between Peter's ribs. Peter shot up so quickly from the couch he toppled on top of Tony sleepily.

"Was' goin' on?" Peter said, voice jazzy with sleep. Tony grunted and pushed Peter off of him.

"For a thirteen-year-old you're heavy," Tony grumbled. Peter yawned in response, sitting next to Tony. Rubbing his eyes and yawning repeatedly.

"You're just weak. I can lift you up." Peter said, taking off his glasses to rub his eyes better.

"Don't call me weak. Anyway, you fell asleep on the couch and some visitors found you." Tony said. Peter looked up at Ton and blinked rapidly. 

"I just had an idea," Peter said breathlessly, shoving his glasses back onto his face and scrambling for his notebook, he groaned when it wasn't on the table.

"Dad! Where's my notebook?" Peter asked frantically, Tony rose an eyebrow. 

"Backpack," Tony said, Peter nodded and pulled his backpack towards him and dumping his entire backpack onto the floor. Tony groaned and sighed, holding his face in his hands as he watched Peter mutter under his breath and flip through his beaten up notebook and pull a pen out from his pocket and scribble something down. 

"What's going through your brain now?" Tony asked, leaning over Peter's shoulder. Peter just flapped a hand in his direction. 

"Shh, still writing," Peter said firmly. Tony rolled his eyes leaned into the couch. Peter placed his pen down and grinned at Tony, a dazed look on his face. 

"What am I looking at?" Tony asked, Peter's smile dropped and he groaned, flopping back down onto the floor. 

"Ugh, now I'm not gonna tell you." Peter pouted, Tony rolled his eyes. 

"Okay Einstien, turn around then," Tony said, Peter groaned and sat up slowly, narrowing his eyes at Tony before turning to the team and basically jumping out of his skin. 

"Woah! You're, you're the Avengers! No way!" Peter exclaimed, scrambling up onto his knees and pushing up his glasses hurriedly. Tony was right, his left eye mimicked Tony's eyes, his right was a vivid green. A wide smile slowly tugged at his lips, his red and yellow braces shined clear as day. 

"You guys are like the literal coolest. Wow, I gotta tell Ned about this." Peter said, clearly in awe. 

"You cannot tell Ned about this," Tony said firmly, Peter crossed his arms over his chest. 

"Why not? I tell Ned everything?" Peter said, Tony narrowed his eyes. 

"Yeah, and that's why Pepper and I organised a press conference announcing your existence," Tony said, Peter's whole body slumped. 

"You're only doing it now because I forced you to. You never would have done it if I hadn't told anyone." Peter said quietly. Tony's face softened. 

"Peter, we've talked about this." Tony said, Peter looked away from him and started hurriedly packing his things into his backpack again.

"And it's never going to be over! You wish that I was never born! Just admit it already!" Peter cried, snatching his glasses off of his face to wipe his eyes. 

"Peter no! Don't think like that! You're the best thing that's ever happened to me!" Tony countered, Peter sniffled in response, zipping his backpack up. 

"Then why do you act like you need to hide me away? Why do you act like I'm something you're ashamed of? Like you aren't proud of me?" Peter said, tears spilling out of his eyes. 

"Peter no, I want to keep you safe," Tony said gently. But Peter was already gone, stepping into the elevator and turning away from them. Tony sighed in defeat, pinching the bridge of his nose. 

"He's thirteen Tony, he's emotional," Clint said dismissively. Tony shook his head. 

"No, he's Peter. He's never met his mum and he basically only grew up with me and Rhodey, and then a bit of Pepper. He's spent his whole life with only me to impress, and he doesn't feel like he's enough. Even if I put his grades on the fridge, and put up all of his medals and awards. But he's always felt self conscious about being my kid." Tony said, sighing and picking up the paper Peter had scribbled on. It was a plan drawing, for father's day. He only looked up when he heard the elevator doors opening and the unmistakable sounds of Pepper's heels clicking across the tiles floor. 

"Tony. _What_ did you do?!" Pepper seethed, Tony looked up at her. 

"What?" Tony asked confusedly. 

"Peter is sitting in your penthouse crying his eyes out because he thinks his father doesn't love him. Either you go up there right now and fix this damn mess, or you call him down here and talk to him. He's distraught Tony." Pepper said firmly. Tony nodded. 

"FRIDAY? Tell Peter to change out of his school clothes and come back down here when he's ready." Tony said quietly. He placed the notebook down and sighed.

"You guys wait in the kitchen." Tony said firmly. Everyone nodded and left in the direction of the kitchen. When the elevator doors opened again out stepped Peter clad in his top big Harry Potter pyjamas. He had an angry pout on his face. Tony stood up and met him halfway, Tony wasn't really sure whether to hug him or not.

"Look, kiddo, my dad was never around when I grew up, so this whole fathering a child is very very confusing. I wanted to keep you safe, for you to have a normal life without people using you for your identity." Tony said gently. Peter shrugged.

"But the moment I started distance education I stopped having a normal life. I don't have a normal life because I have to hide everything. I can't have friends, I can't invite people over. And you expect me to be perfect, and I don't think I am perfect. What if I don't want to go to MIT? Cause I don't. I'm thirteen and I just graduated high school." Peter ranted, motioning with his hands. Tony sighed.

"Peter you don't have to go to MIT if you don't want to. You can do online courses, god you don't even have to go to college if you don't want to. I've never really stopped to ask you what you want to do with your life. You're a genius, but that doesn't mean you have to do something everyone else thinks you should. You don't even have to know what you want to do yet Pete." Tony said, Peter sniffled and nodded.

"Can I just stay here for a while? Maybe intern with you until I figure out what I want to do?" Peter asked, Tony nodded.

"Of course Peter. No matter what you choose to do I am always going to be proud of you, I've always been proud of you. I fear for you though, because you're so trusting and kind. And you're still my little baby, you're always gonna be my baby." Tony said, his voice wobbly with tears. Peter made a face.

"Please don't call me your baby." Peter pleaded. Tony smirked, ignoring the tears spilling out of his eyes.

"My baby." He cooed, pulling Peter towards him by his shirt for a tight hug. Peter laughed into his shoulder.

"I'm still so mad that you're already taller than me," Tony grumbled, Peter grinned wickedly.

"And yet I will always be your little baby."


	36. Bar Mitzvah

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An-Jewish Peter Parker. The Avengers come to his Bar Mitzvah (I will be doing more Jewish Peter Parker in the future)

Peter sighed, his Torah was open on the coffee table, and he was curled up on the floor. Most of the other Avengers were in the room, Peter definitely felt out of place being not only the only teenager, but also being thirteen. Or well, a few days to being thirteen. He was bummed out honestly, uncle Ben was going to read at his Bar Mitzvah, but Ben wasn't here now. And everyone knew he didn't have a dad anymore.

"What's with the hat, Pete?" Clint asked. Peter blinked and closed his Torah, sitting up and yawning.

"It's a Yamaka asshole." Peter seethed. He turned back to his Torah and just stared at it. He sighed and placed his forehead on the coffee table, closing his eyes.

"Since when did you swear kid?" Tony asked, Peter shrugged.

"Since I'm sad and stressed," Peter mumbled.

"Okay, why are you sad and stressed?" Steve asked. Peter was silent for a moment. Only Ned, his family, MJ, her family and May wanted to come to his Bar Mitzvah.

"No one wants to come to my Bar Mitzvah, and Uncle Ben was supposed to do my reading but that can't happen now and I don't have a dad so it's a shit show," Peter said. The room was silent for a long moment before Bucky piped up.

"Wait you're Jewish?" Bucky asked incredulously, Peter looked up at him and nodded.

"The Yamaka didn't clear that up for you?" He said sarcastically. Bucky shrugged.

"Well, Clint thought it was a normal hat." Sam supplied. Peter shrugged.

"May and I make them," Peter said with a shrug.

"So this thing about your Bar Mitzvah?" Tony asked, Peter narrowed his eyes.

"Do you even know the first thing about Judaism? Or Bat Mitzvahs?" Peter demanded. Tony shrugged.

"I know as much as I need to." He supplied. Peter sighed.

"Well usually your whole family shows up but I only have May left. Ned and his family are coming, and MJ and her family are coming. I asked a couple more of my friends but no one wants to come cause apparently they aren't actually my friends." Peter rambled, throwing his head back and flopping down on his back on the floor.

"And the creepy old Rabbi is gonna read for me before I give my reading so it's really awkward. And I'm just sad cause I have to be reminded that I don't have a dad and that Ben's dead. And I'm still trying to memories my passage, hence my Torah sitting on the coffee table. So yeah. I'm sad, and I'm stressed." Peter said. Tony nodded slowly.

"Is that all?" He asked.

"I don't have dress shoes," Peter said sarcastically. Tony nodded slowly.

"And when is your Bar Mitzvah?"

—————————————————

"Oh I'm so happy you came! Peter barely got out of bed this morning he was so upset." May said excitedly, leading the team into seats. When they entered the room they saw Peter, who's cheeks were getting pinched my an elderly woman. 

"Oh, you're such a handsome young man!" She exclaimed lovingly.

"Thank you misses Jones," Peter said in a monotone.

"Come on Grammy, Peter needs to greet everyone else." Said a girl. Tony recognised him as the MJ girl Peter always talked about. Peter mouthed thank you to her as she led her grandmother away. Ned's grandmother was next.

"Ben would be so proud honey." She said gently, Peter's smile faltered for a moment before he sniffled and nodded.

"Yeah, he would," Peter said quietly. Ned's grandmother nodded and pulled Peter in for a hug. Peter smiled softly and hugged her back. She sat down after a moment, leaving Peter awkwardly standing in front of the chairs, drumming his legs awkwardly. When he turned and saw the team his eyes widened. His eyes flickered to May who waved him over. He rushed over to them and opened and closed his mouth.

"What? What're you doing here?" He asked breathlessly.

"We're your family aren't we?" Tony asked, Peter's smile widened.

"Don't go making me cry now," Peter said quietly, Tony smiled, pulling Peter in for a hug.

"Okay, let's get this show on the road. Becoming a man and all."


	37. Winged One

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An-Peter crash lands on Earth and is offered sanctum

"You're telling me this pipsqueak is a crash-landed alien?" Tony said incredulously. Peter made a face and pushed back from the table and spun in his chair, propelled by his massive wings.

"Not just an alien," Loki said, leaning over the table. Peter paused to wave at him, throwing his head back, his mouth open in a silent groan.

"And he can't talk?" Clint asked. Peter did finger guns, spinning in his chair again. Fury sighed and grabbed the back of the chair.

"Will you stop that young man?" Fury asked, Peter stuck out his tongue and pried Fury's hand off of the chair, pushing away from him so he could spin in his chair again. Fury rolled his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose.

"No. He cannot talk. The tattoos on his arm are some kind of imprisonment." Fury supplied. Peter threw his arms up in the air, pulling his sleeves back and revealing the twisted tattoos covering his arms. Loki shakily stood up, stalking around the table and gesturing for Oeters arm. Peter offered it up with narrowed eyes. While Loki examined the tattoos the team examined Peter. He looked like a normal human teenager except for the wings almost double his torso length situated on his back, red blue and black.

There were two horns protruding out of his dark curly hair that framed his face. Feathers seeped out of his hairline and framed his jaw. His tail flickered around, thin and a mess of feathers. Loki dropped his arm with a shaky breath.

"His magic is bound inside his body. He is unable to use it. As he is unable to use his magic he is unable to speak. Are you in pain young Peter?" Loki said gently, Peter nodded, avoiding Loki's eyes. Loki placed a hand over his mouth, closing his eyes. He pulled his hand away and put his hands on his hips.

"What does this mean Loki?" Steve asked. Peter looked Peter in the eye.

"It is a barbaric form of torture and punishment. Binding ones magic results in painful and traumatic memories. He is effectively on constant never-ending pain." Loki said. They all turned to look at Peter, who looked out the window and shrugged.

"What did you do to deserve that?" Bucky asked, Peter turned in the chair so he was staring out the window, his knees pressed against his chest. Peter shrugged and refused to turn around when Loki tried to hurt the chair.

"So he's in constant pain?" Natasha asked. Loki nodded.

"How do we get the bindings off?" Sam asked, Peter turned suddenly in the chair, a confused look on his face. He raised his hands and waved them around confusedly. They all watched as he tried to communicate something. He sighed and rolled his eyes, nothing for a pen and paper. Tony pulled a pen and a small note pad from his Brest pocket, handing it to Peter. Peter shifted so he was crouched on the chair, scribbling away on the pad of paper.

_Why do you want to help me?_

It read. Peter slid the pad across the table. Everyone's heart broke at the admission.

"Agent Hill, call Dr Stephen Strange."

———————————————

"You need to sit here Peter, in the middle of the runes, and Loki and I will do the rest of the work." Stephen said, Peter narrowed his eyes and nodded. He carefully stepped into the middle of the rune circle, shivering lightly. He looked to Loki for comfort.

"I promise we are not put more binds on," Loki said firmly, Peter nodded shakily. Stephen and Loki both raised their hand at the same time, making Peter flinch violently. The two moved in sync and the team could see Peter getting progressively more uncomfortable, sweaty and red-faced. They all jumped when Peter let out a blood-curdling scream, falling to the ground and curling up on his side. Stephen and Loki shared a glance.

"Please stop. Please stop." Peter pleaded from the ground. His voice was hoarse and cracked. Loki shook his head.

"We cannot. It will be over soon, I promise." Loki said, Peter squeezed his eyes shut and nodded. After a few moments the runes glow faded, and Stephen and Loki dropped their hands. They watched at Peter slowly sat up, looking down at his arms that were now just scared up. Loki and Stephen shared a glance as a cloud of magic slowly engulfed Peter, and then exploded out of him. Peter was left coughing violently on the floor, flowers sprouting out of his skin and hair.

"Are you ok Peter?" Stephen asked, Peter nodded and waved a hand.

"This is normal. Don't worry." He wheezed out, the flowers curled around his limbs and peeked out of his hair. He sighed after a moment and lay back down on the floor.

"You're an elemental?" Thor asked from his spot in the room. Peter looked up at him and nodded.

"Yep. Flowers are a side effect of my magic. Really pretty though." Peter said. Loki stepped forward and crouched to examine the flower, reaching to poke at one. It felled back and sunk into Peter's skin.

"Are they permanent?" Bucky asked.

"Yep. But they change species every couple of days. But usually, it's only small flowers like lilies, daffodils, things like that. The orchids are my favourites. My mother used to love them." Peter said softly. Peter hummed as he ran a hand through his hair, the flowers wove around his fingers and stuck when he pulled his hand away.

"Mind of their own in reality." He said, closing his eyes and laying his head back down on the floor, sighing in content.

"So what did you do to warrant the punishment?" Stephen asked. Peter sighed again.

"They were going to do more than bind my magic. They were going to sever my wings and grind my horns. But I got away before they could." Peter said softly, his eyes misty.

"But what did you do?" Steve asked. Peter closed his eyes again.

"Elementals are rare and powerful magic users. I was the only one in my country left. They wanted to use my powers, but I refused. I didn't want to be tested on or forced to use my powers. If I use them too much it hurts. Refusal meant I was betraying my kingdom, treason of the first degree." Peter said quietly. The room was deathly quiet, except for Peter's harsh breathing.

"That's barbaric," Loki whispered, Peter hummed.

"You should have seen what they did to my parents." He countered. Loki winced and reached out a hand to help Peter up. Peter took it hesitantly and pulled himself to his feet, he flirted his wings.

"Using my wings is way different with my magic." He said, humming as he stretched his wings out behind him.

"Just be careful young man." Fury said. Peter turned with a shit-eating grin on his face.

"I'm not a young man. I'm nine hundred years old."


	38. New friends

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An-Tony and Pepper take Peter to the Barton farm (pre spider bite)
> 
> This was a request, and I really appreciate the request, but I am so so so sorry I cannot remember your username

"Who's the kid in the car?" Clint asked. Tony and Pepper shared a glance.

"Well, you're the first to know, but he's our adopted son," Tony said awkwardly. Laura and Clint's mouths dropped open. They had not expected this when the whole team gathered at their home for Easter.

"How did that happen?" Laura asked. Tony and Pepper shared another glance.

"Pepper and I decided we wanted to adopt an older kid. He was the only kid that didn't jump up and babble on about us, he was smart and gentle. But the only way we could get him out fo his room was for me to work with him in my lab, great ideas, good with his hands." Tony explained briefly.

"He started calling us mum and dad after a few weeks and we went ahead and adopted him," Pepper added. Clint and Laura nodded.

"How old is he?" Clint asked.

"Twelve," Pepper said.

"He must be a genius then," Laura said, Tony nodded.

"Indeed he is," Tony said quietly.

"He's the same age as Lila, why doesn't he come out and play around with the kids?" Clint asked, Tony and Pepper shared another glance.

"He doesn't know how to interact with kids his age, he was homeschooled by his last guardian and he doesn't speak. He's mute. Rough childhood." Pepper said.

"Oh, so it was domestic violence?" Laura asked. Tony nodded.

"Yeah, took him ages to be able to even get in a car, he was terrified out of his mind," Tony said quietly. Clint and Laura shared a look.

"If he's comfortable with it he can play with the kids, they're gentle and understanding. I'm sure if we explained they'd be fine." Clint said. Tony and Pepper both turned to look at Peter who was sitting in the car in the front seat, staring out the window.

"Sure. Ok." Pepper and said. After getting all three kids outside of the house Clint and Laura sat them down. Tony and Peoper were talking with Peter at the car, Peter nodded occasionally but wouldn't let out more then little sounds.

"Okay, so you see that boy over there?" Clint asked. All three of them nodded.

"That's Peter, he's Tony and Pepper's son," Laura said.

"We have a cousin?!" Cooper exclaimed excitedly.

"Yeah, you do. But he's a little different than you three" Clint said gently. All the of them peered around Clint's shoulder to look at Peter who had gotten out of the car. He was dressed in a T-shirt similar to Cooper's, shorts and sneakers. He didn't look different.

"But he doesn't look different," Nate said in confusion.

"That's because he's different inside honey. Peter didn't always use to be Tony and Peppers son. Before that he had an aunt who would hurt him really bad." Laura explained gently.

"But that's wrong!" Cooper exclaimed. For a fourteen year old he was loud.

"You're right. But she still did it. Peter doesn't hang out with kids his age because he never has before. He doesn't speak like you and me." Clint explained.

"How old is he?" Like asked excitedly.

"He's twelve, like you." Laura said, Lila nodded.

"Why doesn't he speak?" Mate asked confusedly.

"Well you know how daddy can't hear? Peter's like that, he's mute, he decides not to speak because of something that's happened to him in the past." Clint said. Nate nodded.

"Do we get to play with him?" Nate asked excitedly. Clint nodded.

"Of course, but you need to be really gentle with Peter because he can get really scared really easily. And he won't be able to talk to you easily." Clint said, Nate nodded. They all looked up when Peoper and Tony walked over with Peter, who's hands were clasped behind his back tightly.

"I'm Lila! We're the same age!" Lila said excitedly, throwing her arms around Peter's shoulders, who froze for a moment before relaxing. Tony and Peoper watched with wide eyes as Peter slowly hugged her back with a concentrated look on his face. Lila pulled back and took his hand, Peter narrowed his eyes before shrugging.

"And I'm Cooper, I'm fourteen." Cooper said, linking his arm with Peter's other arm. Nate walked up to Peter and hugged his legs. He looked up at him with a toothy smile.

"I'm Nate, I'm seven." He said. Peter smiled a little and nodded.

"Do you know how to play tip?" Lila asked, Peter shook his head with a confused look on his face.

"Come on! We'll show you how to play it!" Cooper shouted. Clint, Laura, Tony and Pepper watched as the three dragged Peter off until they were out of sight. Tony hugged Pepper to his side.

"He let her hug him. Tony he let her hug him." Peoper said breathlessly. Tony nodded shakily.

"It's a good day Pep. He's ok." Tony said, letting out a deep breath. Clint and Laura let Tony and Pepper into the house, where the team were watching from the window.

"Who's the kid you came with?" Steve asked.

"Our son. Peter." Tony said, still in a daze after seeing Peter receive touch so well.

"Oh. We didn't know you had a son." Bucky said.

"That's because we only adopted him a few months ago." Pepper explained. Natasha narrowed her eyes, watching as Lila explained the rules to tip to Peter and then tipped him. His face broke into a wide smile as he ran after Cooper who was running in the opposite direction.

"What kind of twelve year old doesn't know how to play tip?" She asked.

"Peter was abused by his last guardian who forced him to do homeschooling. It was um, it was a really bad case of abuse. He hadn't ever seen a kid his age until the orphanage." Tony explained stiffly.

"What's with the no talking?" Bucky asked, narrowing his eyes as Oeter shook his head instead on answered, gesturing with his hands.

"He's mute." Peoper explained.

"But the kids will take care of him." Laura assured.

"Of course they will."

———————————————

The team all burst out of the house when they heard the snapping of a branch, yelling and then manic laughter. They were met with Cooper at the base of the oak tree, on top of the lowest branch on the floor. Nate Lila and Peter were laughing at him from the base of the tree. Pepper and Tony stopped in there tracks at the sight of Peter laughing.

"Tony am I imagining this?" Pepper breathed.

"Peter laughing? No. Pep, he's laughing. He's laughing Pep." Tony breathed back, reaching to pull Pepper into his side.

"Cooper what did we say about climbing the trees without someone watching you?" Clint shouted, picking Cooper up off the floor. Cooper shrugged.

"Not to." Cooper grumbled. Clint nodded. Peter and Lila hasn't stopped laughing. Once Clint let go of Cooper he had a sour look on his face.

"Alright wise guy? You're laughing but I bet you can't climb the tree." Cooper said. Peter narrowed his eyes and turned to Pepper and Tony for permission.

"You don't have to climb the tree if you don't want to honey." Peoper said gently, Peter smiled and shrugged.

"Okay, just don't get hurt Pete." Tony said, Peter did a thumbs up and walked up to the tree, putting his hands on his hips. Cooper has snapped the branch closest to the floor Oeter stepped closer, narrowing his eyes at the next lowest branch. He jumped and grabbed onto the branch, swinging his leg up so it was locked around the branch, swinging a few times before flipping so he was on top of it with his stomach against it.

He sat up with a triumphant smile, doing a thumbs up at Cooper who gave him a dirty look.

"So you did better then me. I bet you can't get to the top though." Cooper challenged. Peter narrowed his eyes and stood up slowly on the branch, slowly grasping the branch above him, testing it to see if he could put his weight on it. He smiled and swung himself up onto it, his smile widened, he continued up the tree until the branches couldn't take his weight anymore. He sat down and peeled his torso out of the leaves, waving down to the team and Cooper, Lila and Nate.

"Since when could you climb a tree Peter?!" Tony shouted. Peter grinned and shrugged his shoulders. Lila clung onto Clint's side.

"Dad! Can go up too?" She asked. Clint eyed Peter who waved innocently.

"Can you guide her up?" Clint asked, Peter's smile widened and nodded quickly. Clint waved a hand, watching as Lila raced up to the tree and copied Peter's first few moves. Peter then pointed to different branches and motioned for how to get up. She finally got up to Peter's branch at sat next to him, breathing heavily.

"I don't even know how you did that without breaking a sweat." She said breathlessly. Peter shrugged and smiled innocently. She rolled her eyes and hugged him from the side. Peter froze, not really sure what to do.

Tony, Peoper, Clint and Laura watched in amusement. Peter slowly realexed and hugged her back.

"I think your boy has a crush on my daughter." Clint grumbled to Tony.

"Oh shush Clint, let them be, they're twelve." Laura said, waving a lazy hand.

"Oh tony look at Peter, he's blushing." Peoper said giggling afterward.

"Hes acting like a normal twelve year old. Never thought I'd see the day." Tony said.

"He looks like he's gonna start steaming." Natasha snickered.

"Has he never interacted with a girl before?" Sam asked, Tony snorted.

"One of his best friends is a girl. But look at him, he's never let someone hug him or laughed before so." Tony said, gesturing to Peter and Lila who were laughing together.

After a few more minutes they both started climbing back down the tree. Peter going first and testing where they could put there wieght and then giving a thumbs up for Lila to follow.

"What a gentleman." Laura teased. Tony rushed forward when Peter fell a few feat from the ground, Lila cried out and quickly joined him on the floor. He sat up and held a hand to his forehead.

"Woah woah, don't stand up, you ok buddy?" Tony said, Peter waved a hand and closed his eyes. He opened and closed his mouth, causing Tony to narrow his eyes.

"I... I'm fine." Peter said quietly, Tony's eyes bulged out of his head. He pulled Peter into his chest, hugging him firmly. Peter's face scrunched up, since when did Tony hug him?

"Be careful Tony he could be hurt." Clint said, Tony waved a hand.

"I'm ok!" Peter said, louder this time. Pepper rushed forward and joined the hug. Peter made an uncomfortable noise and pushed Tony off of himself. Tony nodded, patting Peter's shoulder.

"Sorry bud, I know how much you hate lots of pressure." Tony said, Peter shrugged and slowly stood up. He put his hands on his hips and turned to Cooper, who narrowed his eyes.

"Fine. You win. You got to the top of the tree." Cooper said, Peter grinned smugly. Cooper grinned back and tapped Peter on the shoulder.

"You're it!" He shouted, Peter blinked for a moment before running off after Cooper.

"Wow. I was not excepting that when I invited you guys over to our farm."

—————————————————

"Thanks for having us over Clint and Laura, it was a pleasure." Pepper said. Laura waved a hand.

"It was lovely having the whole family around. And the kids had fun." Laura said, gesturing to Nate who was on Clint back, drooling in his sleep on Clint's shoulder. Cooper, Lila and Peter were still running around.

"And Peter did as well. I think we'll have to set us days for them to meet up." Tony said.

"Oh no problem, maybe Peter can teach ours some manners." Clint joked. Pepper and Tony laughed for a moment.

"But thank you, really. His friend count has basically doubled. And I can't believe he hugged someone, laughed and talked for the first time all in one day." Tony said, he sniffled lightly. Pepper smiled when Peter came walking up to Tony and Peoper, standing in between them.

"You okay honey?" Peoper asked. Peter nodded, giving her thumbs up. They all said their goodbyes before Lila came running out of the house at Peter , who rose an eyebrow.

"Wait. Peter. One last thing." She said, blushing madly as she hugged peter tightly and then pulled back, planting a kiss on Peter's cheek and running and off into the house. Peter had a dazed look on his face, touching where Lila kissed his cheek with the tips of his fingers. Clint and Laura's laughed, waving as they turned and walked to the house. Peter looked up to Tony, blushing madly and an eyebrow raised.

"I think you have a girlfriend Pete."


	39. Memories pt8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An-Vision and Clint

Peter sat heavy in front of Vision, who blinked and looked up at Peter from his book. Peter had finally gotten the hang of his prosthetics and started wearing them day to day now. Peter grinned and pulled a notebook out from behind his back and a pen, clinking it several times. 

"Are you okay Peter?" Vision asked, Peter nodded, a bright smile making its way onto his face. Ever since he got his memories back of Tony, Peter had been doing much better. 

"Do you want to ask me something?" Vision asked in amusement. You could always tell when Peter was bursting to ask something, his nose scrunched up in a particular way, and his eyes basically glittered. Peter nodded, his curls bouncing around. Vision closed his book and placed it aside, gesturing for Peter to talk. 

"Okay, so, I've been looking into the formation of the Avengers and what comes up a lot is you. Although the formation of the Avengers didn't start with Ultron, Pietro and Wanda were a big addition to the team and SHIELD, and you, 'cause you're wicked cool." Peter rambled, looking down at his notes.

"If you wish to understand my creation I suggest talking to Dr Banner or Mr Stark." Vision said, quirking an eyebrow when Peter shook his head. 

"Oh no I already understand your creation, I wanted to ask about something kinda weird. So you're basically the internet, right? Well, I wanted to ask if you know what memes are?" Peter asked, his gleeful smile drooping and fading as his grip loosened on the notepad, causing it to fall to the floor with a loud clatter. Vision sighed and slid off his couch to sit next to Peter, rubbing his back as Peter opened and closed his mouth.

_"Woah you're like a wicked complex android and you talk? Wow, dude."_

_"Okay, okay, please explain how you turn all fleshy. It's wack man."_

_"Hey, Mr Vision? Do you know how to stop internal bleeding?"_

_"No, I don't need to see Bruce because he'll give me a check-up with those gross rubber gloves that give me hives. And you don't get squeamish because of blood."_

_"Nah I can't be allergic to latex... Wait, maybe I am, that one time in forth grade-wait yeah let's clean up the blood."_

_"Woah okay, I did not expect you to be able to actually phase through the wall. Wow, would ya look at that?"_

_"Okay you just keep getting cooler and cooler. Dude you can fly!"_

_"Okay wow, that was very rude. That was the last cupcake and you just scared the shit out of me."_

_"No, stop doing that just cause you can get past my spider-sense."_

_"Wow ok, this is really weird, I'm fixing your arm and you're like talking to me. This is freaky man."_

_"Road work ahead."_

_"Did, did you just? Oh my god. You're technically the internet. Do you know memes?"_

Peter blinked slowly and hummed, picking his notepad and pen back up. He made a face.

"I can't believe we bonded over vines. Wow. Okay. I'm going to start crying." Peter's voice wobbled with the effort not to cry. Vision wrapped his arm around Peter's shoulder.

"It's ok to cry." Vision said gently. Peter nodded and promptly burst into tears. He sniffled and wiped his face on his sleeve.

"You're a pretty cool guy Vision. And I am totally not crying." Peter said, although his words were clogged with tears and laboured breathing.

"If that's what you want to believe." Vision said. Peter sniffled and nodded.

"You're really really amazing Vision, And I'm really thankful that I remember you," Peter said, Vision nodded solemnly and pointed tot he team awkwardly standing the doorway. 

"Look at all those chickens."

\-------------------------

"Okay, here we go, back to training like a normal person," Peter said shakily, he was not a fan of treadmills. 

"You're doing great kiddo." Tony encouraged, Peter turned and glared at him. 

"I feel like a leaf in the wind," Peter grumbled, Tony nodded and clicked the turn up button, making Peter snap his attention back to the wall ahead of him. From there Tony steadily increased the pace until Peter was sprinting, and then slowing it down. Peter cheered when he can to a stop on the treadmill. 

"I did it!" Peter shouted happily, Tony laughed, patting Peter's shoulder. 

"And look at where you were six months ago," Tony said, Peter nodded and grinned. 

"I just never thought I'd stand again let alone run," Peter said, lifting his shirt to wipe his sweaty face down. He snapped his hand up to catch something when his spidey sense screamed at him. He turned slowly to see Clint laughing at him. 

"Keeps you on your toes!" He teased, Peter scoffed and looked down at the arrow in his hand, staring down at it and blinking, his body freezing.

_"Woah! Did you see that? I just got shot at by Hawkeye!"_

_"No, that's not weird Mr Stark, he's literally one of my childhood heroes. No, I don't need a hobby."_

_"How do you even know that about growing pains? Since when did you have kids?"_

_"Okay, okay, I'm fine, I do not need help with my homework and you do not need to make me an after school snack!"_

_"So where do you go after missions? Nat goes to the dance rooms, Steve goes to the art rooms, Tony and Brucie go to the labs, where do you go?"_

_"Wow, you are more like a bird then I thought. No, I'm serious, you literally made a nest in the vent cavern."_

_"Clint! IF YOU HIT ME OFF THE CEILING WITH A BROOM ONE MORE TIME I'M SHOVING IT WHERE THE SON DON'T SHINE!"_

_"No. I'm fine."_

_"Let's play Mario cart! I haven't played that in ages!"_

_"No! I cannot train with the Avengers! I'm just gonna embarrass myself."_

_"Did you just shoot an arrow at me?"_

Peter blinked in surprise when he subconsciously snapped the arrow in his hands, looking up in a daze at Clint who looked very unimpressed. 

"Aw man, Tony just made those," Clint grumbled, Peter blinked several times before he promptly burst into tears. 

"You birdbrain, I don't give a shit about the arrow. I just remembered you." Peter said, dropping the broken arrow with a clatter to the floor. Clint made a small noise and nodded slowly. 

"Oh. You want a hug?" Clint asked raising his arms. Peter rolled his eyes and stomped u to CLint, hugging him firmly. 

"Yes, I want a hug," Peter said, sniffling into Clint's shoulder. Peter suddenly pulled back and glared at Clint. 

"You're the one who stole my phone last year. You bastard. You thought I wouldn't notice but I so did." Peter growled, Clint's smile dropped as he stepped back form Peter. 

"Don't kill me! I did nothing wrong!"


	40. Riverdale New Comer

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An-Peter Parker x Riverdale. Peter is deaf (signing in Italics.) 

"Okay, Peter here is going to help me with this experiment because he's the only one I trust." miss Davis said, Peter did a thumbs up and got up with his notebook and pencil. 

"Why can't you trust us, Miss?" One of the boys said, Peter plopped his notebook on the table and smiled. 

"Because the last time I trusted someone else a beaker and three test tubes got broken." She said, she was met with silence. 

" _Cricket noises._ " Peter signed, laughing when he dodged Miss Davis' playful smack. 

"Maybe I shouldn't trust you." She grumbled. She along with the school nurse were the only ones that knew how to sign, meaning Peter had to use text to speech in all of his other classes.

"Okay, I'll play the frequency and we'll measure how the jelly is affected. Peter will write down the frequencies that caused movement and we'll explore why." She said, pausing to turn to Peter, "If any of them have effects on your hearing aids, tap me or make a noise." She said, turning on the first frequency after Peter gave her the thumbs up. When he cycled to the fourth Peter dropped his notebook and pen, cupping his hands over his ears and squeezing his eyes shut. He cried out and doubled over. When the frequency stopped he couldn't shake the painful ringing. 

"I'm so sorry Peter, are you okay?" Miss Davis asked gently, Peter shook his head no slowly, opening his mouth and breathing raggedly, his face screwed up in pain 

"Do you need to go to the nurse?" She asked, Peter shook his head. 

"Bathroom?" She asked, Peter nodded. 

"Okay, Sweet Pea, get his bag and make sure he gets there." She said firmly, Peter swiftly left the room, keeping his hands firmly pressed over his ears, stumbling to the bathroom and slamming open the door. He almost fell to the floor in his haste, shouldering open one of the stall doors and falling to the floor in front of the toilet, throwing up into it. He vaguely registered that his literal crush was awkwardly stood behind him, holding his backpack and watching him vomit. 

The ringing was so loud that he couldn't hear the toilet flush or what Sweet Pea was saying. He wiped his mouth on some toilet paper and then held up a finger to his lips, motioning for Sweet Pea to stop talking. He shifted so he was leaning against the side of the stall. He reached up a shaky hand and clicked out the small part of his hearing aid as if he were going to charge it. He shoved them in his pocket before standing up slowly and stumbling over to the bathroom sink, turning on the tap and washing his mouth out. Once he finished he leaned up and fumbled to pull his phone out. 

<Sorry you had to see that.> Said the monotone voice. Peter hated it honestly, it sounded like a robot. Sweet Pea dropped Peter's backpack and shrugged. 

"I know ASL. And don't worry, are you okay?" Sweet Pea asked, Peter turned so he could read his lips better. 

" _Sort of. That's never happened before. I should be fine as long as she doesn't play that frequency again, and I might keep my hearing aids out for a while._ " Peter signed tiredly. His head felt like someone was crushing his head under ten thousand tons. Sweet Pea nodded and offered Peter his bag back. Peter took it with a small smile. 

"You need help walking?" Sweet Pea asked, Peter narrowed his eyes before nodding a little. 

" _Just link arms with me, that should be enough._ " Peter signed. Sweet Pea nodded a took his arm. Pretty soon they were outside their science class again. Miss Davis looked beyond guilty. 

"Are you feeling okay Peter?" She asked, rushing up to him and checking him over. Peter just shrugged, he wasn't feeling okay but he wasn't feeling terrible. 

"Where are your hearing aids?" She asked. Peter held up a finger before digging in his pocket, pulling out the aids and holding them up. She took them and nodded. 

"I'll put them in a zip lock bag so you don't lose them. Just sit down and make sure you don't hurt your head. You must have a killer headache." She said. Sweet Pea watched them as he sat back in his seat between Archie and JUghead. 

"You wanna know what's weird about this?" Jughead asked. Sweet Pea narrowed his eyes at Miss Davis handing Peter his hearing aids back and signing with him for a moment. 

"What?" He asked. 

"Only spiders can hear at that frequency."

\---------------------------

Sweet Pea knocked on the trailer door awkwardly, blushing madly. He'd driven Peter home after the science experiment disaster and honestly, it was the perfect excuse to talk to Peter again. It was Saturday and the incessant had happened on Thursday. He smiled nervously when the door opened to reveal a middle-aged woman standing there with her eyes narrowed.

"Hello, how can I help you?" She asked, Sweet Pea shifted on his feet.

"I'm a friend of Peter's. I drove him home on Thursday after that thing that happened in science. I just wanted to check he was okay cause he wasn't at school yesterday." Sweet Pea said. The woman nodded.

"Oh he's fine, he just had a headache so I had him stay home," May said, waving a hand. Sweet Pea nodded, clasping his hands behind his back and rocking on his heels slightly. 

"Would it be okay if he and I hung out for a while? Just at Pops in town? And I can drive him back home." Sweet Pea said, reddening further and smiling nervously. The woman grinned at him knowingly.

"I'll go get Peter, he doesn't have his hearing aids in this early. You can ask him yourself." She said. Sweet pea nodded, standing quietly as the woman rushed off and came back with Peter who was shirtless, rubbing his eyes with his knuckles. He blushed darkly when he saw Sweet Pea.

" _Hey Sweet Pea, what are you doing here this early?_ " Peter signed slowly. Sweet Pea blushed impossibly darker. Peter shifted so his arms were covering his chest slightly.

"Well, I wanted to see if you were okay cause you didn't come to school yesterday. And I wanted to see if you wanted to hang out." Sweet Pea said. Peter smiled wide.

" _Oh I'm ok now, the headache went away after some sleep. And I'd love to hang out, where would we go? Just so I can dress right._ " Peter signed. Sweet Pea smiled happily.

"Just to Pop's, but Uh well, if you're comfortable with it, it could be a date?" Sweet pea blurted nervously. Peter's mouth fell open in shock for a moment before he recovered quickly.

" _I'd love to go on a date with you! Just let me put some clothes on and I'll be right back!_ "

———————————————————

Sweet Pea and Peter walked into Pop's side by side. It was basically empty, only two booths were full, so Pop came walking up to Peter and Sweet Pea. Peter automatically pulled out his phone and opened his text to Shea his app.

"Hey Sweet Pea, didn't think I'd be seeing you here today. Who's your friend?" Pop asked, Peter typed hastily.

<I'm Peter, it's lovely to meet you.> the monotone voice said, Peter offered him a weak smile. Pops smile widened, clapping Peter on the shoulder.

"It's lovely to meet you too, I must say you two would make a wonderful couple." Pop said, Peter opened and closed his mouth, blushing madly. Sweet Pea chuckled nervously, linking arms with Peter and dragging him to one of the booths. Peter was bright red in the face, smiling sheepishly.

"Hey guys, I didn't know you two would be here today." Came Jughead's voice from across the ail. Peter and Sweet Pea turned to find Jughead, Archie, Betty and Veronica day across the ail from them.

"Last minute plans." Sweet Pea excused. Peter typed rapidly at my phone.

<What he means is he showed up at my place before I'd even gotten out of bed.> said the monotone voice. Peter winced at the lack of emotion. He put his phone down on the table with a weak smile again.

"Smooth Sweet Pea," Jughead said with a wide smile, this cause Sweet Pea to flush red almost immediately. They both shared a glance when the waitress walked up to them. Peter motioned for Sweet Pea to order, he wasn't really in the mood for their waitress thinking that he's rude. When she left Peter sighed in relief.

" _Thank you for ordering, didn't want to seem like an asshole._ " Peter signed. Sweet Pea smiled kindly.

"I don't mind, we're just here for milkshakes anyway." Sweet Pea said. Peter gave him a thumbs up paired with a wide smile.

"So why'd you move to Riverdale?" Sweet Pea asked, smiling stiffly when the waitress handed them their milkshakes. Peter shrugged.

" _My aunt and I have been shrugging for money for a while when we lost our lease we had to move out of state. My aunt took the nearest nursing job she could find and I tagged along. We needed to get out of New York._ " Peter signed, Sweet Pea nodded. It was an understatement, Peter was pretty sure if he stayed in New York for another moment he'd drop dead.

"Yeah, if Riverdale is good for one thing it's cheap realistate." He said with a crooked grin. Peter snorted.

" _That it is. That it is. What about you? Have you lived here your whole life?_ " Peter asked. Sweet Pea nodded.

"Yeah, just me, my mum and my sister. My sisters going into High School next year." Sweet Pea said.

" _I've always wondered what it would be like to have a sibling. Tell her good luck from me, I miss middle school._ " Peter signed, faking sadness for show before laughing quietly.

"Oh it's really weird, one second I'm defending her from boys, and the next she's pulling my hair because I walked into her room. But I love her, she's great." Sweet Pea said, Peter fake swooned, making Sweet Pea roll his eyes.

" _You know sign language and you like kids? Dream guy am I right?_ " Peter said with a faint blush. Sweet Pea rolled his eyes, waving a hand of dismissal.

"You're one to talk, you're smart and you're attractive. Catch of the year." Sweet Pea said, Peter giggled for a moment.

" _You're pulling my leg, have you seen this face?_ " Peter signed incredulously, pointing to the right side of his face with was covered in claw mark scars. The scars bled into his hair, stopping it from growing in thick lines of bumpy white. Sweet Pea waved a hand.

"Nah, you look handsome." Sweet Pea said, Peter grinned shyly, reddening impossibly further.

" _You're just saying that,_ " Peter signed shyly. Sweet Pea shook his head.

"Definitely not." He said, Peter rolled his eyes.

" _If I could hold your hand right now I would._ " He signed, blushing impossibly redder. Sweet Pea thought for a moment before hooking his lower leg around the back of Peter's.

"Compromise." He said with a shrug. Peter swore he could feel his heart flutter.

" _Look at you, being a gentleman._ " Peter signed with a wide grin. Sweet Pea rolled his eyes and pulled his milkshake towards him. They continued to talk for at least an hour before they fell into a comfortable silence. Until Sweet Pea broke it.

"You don't have to answer this if you don't want to, but why don't you talk?" He asked quietly, Peter's shoulders slumped for a moment before he shrugged. Toomes was a bitch.

" _Well, I guess it's all about me being self-conscious. I don't remember what my voice sounds like. I wasn't born deaf if that wasn't obvious. I knew I was going deaf before the doctors told me, and I kept thinking that this is going to be the last time I hear May's voice or my best friends. And then I got my hearing aids and it was like I had a fresh beginning. But I couldn't really talk because I had stopped when I couldn't hear myself anymore. I guess I'm kind of scared about it because what if I sound like a dying donkey? Or my voice is really high or something?_ " Peter explained, Sweet Pea nodded along.

"Well, when you do decide to use your voice again I think that you're going to have the most beautiful voice ever." He said. Peter pressed his lips into a thin line, blushing madly.

" _If you make me cry on our first date Sweet Pea I swear to god._ " Peter signed exasperatedly. Sweet Pea laughed loudly.

"Nah, that's for the second date." He said teasingly.

"Look at them, they're so sickeningly cute," Jughead said. Betty rolled her eyes and lay her head on his shoulder.

"You're just a pessimist. Let them be Juggy, they look happy as can be." Betty said. They all turned and looked at Peter, who had his head thrown back in laughter, his shoulders shaking and his hands grabbing at his chest, pulling at his collar.

"Strange kid," Archie commented. Veronica looked at him funny. Archie sighed, waving the other three in so he could whisper.

"He shows up with his aunt in the middle of the term, moves into the trailer park, starts at Riverdale High and is in all AP classes, and look at him. He's ripped, covered in scars and no one knows a thing about him. It just doesn't make sense." Archie said, Jughead pointed to him.

"I know right, also in science, we were experimenting with sound waves and he freaked out, cupping his hands over his ears and everything. The weird thing is, only spiders can hear the frequency he apparently picked up." Jughead said.

"Juggy it's probably just something with his hearing aids, leave him be," Betty said, shushing him.

"Sure, Betty. Sure. But when we find out he's a murderer or something you owe me."

———————————————

Peter was silent, walking with his arm linked with Sweet Pea's. It was a habit by now, so Peter could sign while being in contact with Sweet Pea. Peter really liked Sweet Pea, he was kind and even though he had no reason to he found Peter attractive and cute. Peter liked that Sweet Pea was honest with him, he was funny and sweet. And maybe if Peter found him extremely hot too that totally wouldn't affect anything. Peter sighed and turned to Sweet Pea, taking his hands in his own and looking up at him, eyes narrowed and lips pressed into a thin line.

"You okay Peter?" Sweet Pea asked worriedly. Peter nodded slowly, releasing his hands and raising them slowly, a thoughtful look on his face.

" _What are we?_ " He signed slowly, Sweet Pea blinked rapidly before smiling softly.

"Whatever you want us to be Pete." Sweet Pea said softly. Peter grinned up at him, bouncing on his heels.

" _Boyfriends? Maybe?_ " Peter signed hopefully. Sweet Pea grinned down at him, reaching a hand up to cup his face.

"I like the sound of that. Boyfriends." Sweet Pea said, clucking his tongue, speaking like he was testing the word in his mouth.

"Yeah. Boyfriends. Come along boyfriend, we have chemistry." Sweet Pea prompted, taking Oeters arm back and cradling him to his side.

"So. Now that we are officially boyfriends, I am officially asking you to prom." Sweet Pea said with a smile. Peter opened and closed mouth for a moment before stepping in front of Sweet Pea, standing up on his tippy toes to press a soft kiss onto Sweet Pea's cheek. He grinned cheekily before turning away from Sweet Pea and running off down the hall, weaving around people expertly. Sweet Pea clucked his tongue before cocking his head and putting his hands on his hips.

"I think that was a yes buddy," Archie said in a sing-song voice. Sweet Pea huffed and grinned.

"I need a suit."

———————————————

" _This is great._ " Peter signed slowly, linking arms with Sweet Pea as they walked into the auditorium. It was dark, mostly lit up by fairy lights and coloured lights. Peter thought it was beautiful, this was the longest time he'd spent at the school dance and honestly, he loved it.

"Never been to a school dance?" Sweet Pea mused. Peter hummed, a soft smile on his face.

" _I stayed at homecoming for point three seconds before ditching._ " Peter signed. Sweet Pea hummed, leading Peter up to Jughead, Betty, Archie and Veronica.

"You look great Peter!" Veronica said, Peter blushed darkly, smiling wide and pulling out his phone.

<thanks, my aunt made me do my hair and we pulled out one of my uncle's old suits.> said the monotone voice, Peter did a thumbs up and smiled. Veronica reaches up and messed his hair up a little.

"Just mess it up a little and the gel doesn't look too bad." She said, Peter stuck out his tongue and pulled away.

"I think he looks great no matter what." Sweet Pea said, leaning down to kiss Peter on the cheek. Peter blushed and made a huffing noise, rolling his eyes.

"Gross dude. Wait for the slow dance." Jughead said. Peter grinned.

<Don't get your hopes up Sweetheart> Peter grinned at Sweet Pea, waving his phone as the monotone voice spoke.

"Oh come on Pete, don't encourage Jughead," Betty said, Peter made a face.

After bantering the six separated, Peter was enjoying having an excuse to be close to Sweet Pea during the slow dance. Occasionally Sweet Pea would say something, Peter humming or making a small noise in response. Everyone groaned when the music cut off with a loud ringing noise, the microphone getting picked up. Peter's breath caught in his throat when he saw Adrian Toomes standing on the stage, microphone held tightly in his hand, chest heaving, a manic grin on his face. He had his wings back, and some new weapons tech.

"You know I was delighted to find out that a dear old friend of mine moved to this quiet little town. Away from the huddle and busses of city life. Come out, come out spiderman, let's play a little game." Toomes said into the microphone, waving the gun around, making people scream and cry out. Peter was frozen against Sweet Pea's chest. Toomes tutted into the microphone when no one moved.

"Such a shame. I might have to hurt your friends if you don't come out and play, Pedro. AGAINST THE WALLS. NO ONE MOVE." He shouted. The students scrambled to comply, pressing against the walls.

"You have no idea how giddy I was when I found out I did a bigger dent on you then I thought. My little friend is all grown up, deaf aren't you? Come on Pedro, come out and play with your old friend. Or I start getting trigger happy." Toomes said, waving the gun around again. Peter turned to Sweet Pea.

" _Sweet Pea listen to me. Get everyone out. Get everyone safe._ " Peter signed frantically. Sweet Pea shook his head.

"Peter what? No, we're getting you home safe and this'll all be okay and-" Peter cut Sweet Pea off, cupping his cheeks in his hands. He pulled back shakily, tears falling down his cheeks.

" _Tell May, that I'm sorry, and I love her. Tell her, tell her I'm sorry. And Sweet Pea,_ " Peter paused, cupping Sweet Peas face in his hands again, closing his eyes and kissing Sweet Pea's lips softly. Sweet Pea could taste Peter's tears through the kiss, closing his eyes and pulling Peter against him. Peter pulled back and smiled softly.

"I.. I love you, Sweet Pea," Peter said, his voice hoarse and croaky with disuse. Sweet Peas fell open, scrambling for a hold on Peter's hand, pressing kisses onto it.

"Peter no, don't do anything stupid. Please Peter, baby no." Sweet Pea pleases, crying softly. Peter shook his head. He opened and closed his mouth several times.

" _I'm sorry._ " Peter signed, pulling away from Sweet Pea and mouthing 'I'm sorry' over and over. Stumbling backwards through the crowd, pushing people aside until he was in the middle of the hall, staring down Toomes, who grinned at him.

"Hello, again Pedro. Or should I say, Spiderman? What'd you use to go by? The friendly neighbourhood Spiderman? Protector of Queens, stopping robbers and muggers with the flick of your wrist?" Toomes mocked. Peter locked eyes with him, slowly tugging off his blazer and dropping it in a heap on the floor.

"You're gonna break another poor person's heart? Lead them on and leave them at a high school dance? It's really your style isn't it Pedro? Well, I'll let you know that my Lizzy was positively heartbroken, she had a silly high school crush on you. Got her hopes up you did Benny." Toomes said. Peter movements froze on his tie, looking up slowly at Toomes who burst into laughter.

"That's right Pedro, I know all about your sad little past. Weren't you named after him? Your dear uncle Ben? And didn't he die because he stepped in front of that bullet for you? Do you make a habit of killing people you love?" Toomes asked. Peter squeezed his eyes shut and loosened his tie, pulling it over his head and dropping it on top of his blazer, unbuttoning his top button.

"I love seeing you like this. All scared up from what I did. It is fun? Feeling my pain like I did?" Peter hummed, rolling up his sleeves slowly, revealing his web-shooters which he still kept on.

"Do you like it? Not fitting in, although, you never did, did you? Benny?" Toomes said. And that was it, Peter fell into the familiar rhythm, slinging a web, landing on Toomes' wrist, tugging to he turned Toomes around so his arm was pinned behind his back, pressing against the metal wings. Toomes just laughed in response, mist slowly seeping out of his energy pack.

"You think I didn't make something different? Something that makes you defend less?" Toomes asked. Peter watched in horror as the web dissolved, dropping to the floor. Peter looked down at his web-shooters in terror, looking back up at Toomes, his hands shaking, tears slipping out of his eyes. Toomes laughed, the wings stretching behind him.

"I'll do you a favour. You have three minutes." Toomes said. Peter stumbled back, slinging a web to the ceiling and lifting off the ground and slamming into the doors, slamming them open and running out of them. Town square. Town square. Toomes flew after him with a cackle. The hall was silent for a moment before Sweet Pea pushed people aside, tears slipping out of his own eyes, stumbling forward and falling to his knees, picking up Peter's blazer and tie. He held them in his lap and turned around to see all the serpents behind him.

"We have to, we have to help him. We have to help Peter."

————————————————

Peter screamed bloody murder when his back slammed into the brick building, coming crashing down to the floor with a choked sob. He'd gotten the web dissolvent off of Toomes but he wasn't sure if he'd have enough left in him to take him down. He lay on his side on the floor, everything aching and hurting. He took in a shaky breath, propping himself up on his elbows and slowly rising to his hands and knees.

"You don't give up do you, Pedro. What did I have to do to get you down? I've dropped a building on you, I've walked you into a fire, now I've slamming you into a wall. And you keep. Getting. Back. Up. Don't you?" Toomes asked, stalking forward. Peter grinned, getting to his feet and stumbling forward, his knees threatening to buckle with every step he slung web after web at Toomes' wings.

"Parker's don't, don't give up," Peter said breathlessly, his throat sore and gone from screaming and crying and the effort of talking.

"Don't they? Looks like your giving up Pedro, can't get the mark to save your life." Toomes said. Peter grinned lopsidedly.

"Déjà vu." Peter quipped, slinging the final web, causing the wings to spasms and then crackle, wrapping around Toomes, causing his to crumple to the ground. Peter vaguely registered people he recognised gathered around him and a Toomes.

"What would Liz say if she saw you now?" Peter said quietly, taking a few more steps forward, his left wrist crumpled at his side. Toomes looked up at him, sneering at him.

"Would she be proud? Would she smile and laugh like she did? Would she hug you and kiss you goodnight Mr Toomes?" Peter fell to his knees beside Toomes.

"Because I don't think she would be. I don't think she'd love the person you became." Peter paused, swallowing thickly, "The monster you became." Peter said hoarsely, his head lulling back.

"What's so special about this town that you want to save?" Toomes asked, a broken look in his eyes. Peter shrugged.

"Home is where the heart is I guess," Peter said, looking up, his eyes flickering around. He could see Sweet Pea's face, amongst Jughead, Betty, Archie, FP, Toni, and the others.

"Riverdale is my home. With my friends. And my family. The people I care about, the people I love. And I have never loved one person so much, so much that it hurts, so much that I can't think about anyone but them," Peter paused, his eyes finding Sweet Pea's. "New York was never my home. But Riverdale is. Riverdale is." Peter said, swallowing thickly again, humming, sinking to the floor.

"You always were wise beyond your years," Toomes said quietly. Peter hummed.

"Maybe. Aunt May always said I was too smart for my own good." Peter said, falling back into his back. FP walked forward and picked Toomes up off of the ground.

"I'll come back, Benny. I'll always come back." Toomes screamed. Peter hummed from his place on the floor, closing his eyes when he felt someone pick him up and cradle him to their chest.

"Not if I can help it." Sweet Pea said. Peter's cheek was pressed against his chest. He looked up at him and smiled softly.

"Old friend of yours?" Sweet Pea mused stiffly, Peter snorted. 

"Something like that," Peter said, closing his eyes. He honestly didn't think he'd make it out of it alive when he told Sweet Pea he loved him, and now Sweet Pea was walking him back to the South side with a crowd of Serpents following them. 

"Did you mean it?" Sweet Pea asked quietly, Peter opened his eyes slowly and looked up at Sweet Pea. 

"Whan you said you love me?" Sweet Pea asked, Peter hummed, closing his eyes. 

"More then I've ever meant anything," Peter said. Sweet Pea hummed, shifting his grip on Peter. 

"I love you too." He said quietly, Peter's eyes snapped open to look up at Sweet Pea in shock. 

"You do?" Peter asked hoarsely. Sweet Pea grinned. 

"Who wouldn't? Although I think we need to try that kiss again. When we aren't both crying." Sweet Pea teased, Peter chuckled, getting some of his strength back now. Enough that he motioned for Sweet Pea to put him down. Sweet Pea wrapped an arm around his waist, and Peter's wrapped around his shoulder.

"Yeah, that sounds nice," Peter said. He blinked in surprise when they got to May and his trailer, May came rushing up to him. Peter peeked over her shoulder at Tony, who he never thought he'd see again.

"Peter! I got a call from Sweet Pea saying a guy with wings was attacking you! Was it Toomes?" May asked, checking him over for injuries. 

"Yeah, it was Toomes. Same stuff though called me Benny though. Thought I was gonna die when he used this mist stuff that dissolved my webs." Peter said quietly. May looked up at him, tears slipping out of her eyes. 

"You talked." She said softly, Peter sniffled and nodded. 

"Yeah. I did." He said, May nodded and hugged him. When she pulled back she pulled Sweet Pea into a hug. 

"Thank you for getting him home," She said. She pulled back and nodded, turning and walking to stand next to Tony. 

"That means she likes you," Peter whispered to him, Sweet Pea nodded. 

"Who's this guy?" Sweet Pea whispered, motioning to Tony, who looked offended. 

"An actual old friend."


	41. Stargate

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Peter Parker x Stargate crossover (This is the funeral for Stargate personnel and people who know about the Stargate program) (Pretend the fish dude incident never happened in the earlier seasons and later on, think season six. No ascension.)

Sam, Jack and Teal'c didn't know who the kid was standing next to them, greeting the guests as they walked into the cathedral. He'd been crying, for a long time by the looks of it, and if Jack was honest he swore he'd seen Daniel wear that suit before. But he wasn't going to ask why a teenage boy was talking quietly with General Hammond. 

"He was a good man Peter, and he would be proud of you." George said firmly, the boy, Peter nodded slowly. 

"Thank you for coming, General Hammond. He'd be happy to know you came. He always said you were a kind and honest man." Peter said quietly, George nodded and patted Peter's shoulder, moving onto the remaining SG-1.

"You know who the kid is?" Jack asked softly, George glanced at Peter who was greeting the next person. 

"You'll find out who he is soon enough. He planned the whole funeral." George said. Jack blinked in surprise and nodded. When Catherine finally walked into the room, the boy burst into a fresh set of tears. Catherine rushed over and pulled him into a hug. 

"Oh, Peter. He's in a better place, he's happy." She said softly, the boy nodded into her shoulder slowly, sniffling and pulling back with a stiff smile. 

"Yeah. I know that."

\-----------------------

"And now reading the eulogy is Peter Jackson, Dr Daniel Jackson's son." The priest said. The boy stood up from his seat in the front row next to Jack and slowly walked up to the podium. Jack, Sam and Teal'c watched in horror as the boy wiped his cheeks and brushed his hair out of his face. His hands shook as he straightened his palm cards. He closed his eyes for a moment, taking in a deep breath and leaning towards the microphone. 

"When I think about Daniel, I can't help but think about all of the kind and selfless things he's done. He was so kind. So so kind. And caring, and compassionate, and gentle, and understanding. But he was always unapologetically himself. Who couldn't go a day with a cup of coffee, who had to get his eyes checked every six months because his eyes site was so bad? Who was so effortlessly genius, and funny. Who when he laughed snorted. Who when he pushed up his glasses he always smudged them and then complained about it later." This got a wet laugh out of SG-1.

"But I also think about what I would say and do if he were still here. I'd call him dad for the first time because he never pressured me to call him dad when he started fostering me, but I know how much he wanted me to. I'd finally cut my hair because he always insisted that I looked stupid with my long hair." Peter paused for a moment to tuck his curly hair behind his ears. 

"I'd tell him how much I love him, and that I owe my life to him. Because I do. I'd tell him that I'm sorry for all the times I yelled and screamed at him when he tried to comfort me, or talk to me those first few weeks I was with him. I'd tell him I'm sorry for getting into trouble at school all the time, and that I'm sorry he had to come to get me from school all those times when I snapped back at my teachers. 

"And I would also thank him for everything. For giving me a place to call home, someone who made me feel loved, safe and cared for, for the first time in my life. For being the first person to ever hug me, to hold me. For putting up with me with a kind and patient smile. For listening to me cry and rant and ramble. For everything." Peter paused again, sniffling into the microphone and wiping his face on his sleeve. Peter closed his eyes again, he knew the rest of his speach off by heart.

"Because that's who Daniel was. Patient. Understanding. I always felt like he knew more about the world then he was letting on. And he always used to say that we can't take those who we love for granted. So I'd like to say a few thank you's to the people who Daniel loved with all his heart, and never took for granted." Peter paused, opening his eyes and locking eyes with each person in succession. 

"First, to his parents, who unfortunately aren't with us. Daniel talked so highly and fondly of them that you would think he had known them his entire life. He loved them, because they were like him. Kind, courageous, knowledge-seeking and filled with so much childlike wonder that you could see it in their eyes." Peter let the tears make their way down his face, splattering onto his palm cards. He vaguely registered Catherine filming his speech. 

"The second, Sha're, who is not with us here today. Daniel loved her so much that his heart hurt. He loved her so much that he was angry at the universe for not getting her back to him. She was the first person who looked at Daniel and didn't see an outcast, or an outsider. She just saw Daniel. I remember when I was eleven, and I asked Daniel what love meant because he said he loved me, and the first thing he said was her name. He said that it makes your head hurt with longing for someone, they're the first person that crosses your thoughts in the morning. No matter what day it was, or what time it was, or where he was, she never left his mind." Peter said, pressing his lips into a thin line. 

"The third, Catherine Lanford, who is here today. Many times I heard Daniel talk about her with such high respect, awe, and love. Many times he had said he owed his owed life to her, because she offered him an opportunity that changed his life. He was like you in many ways, kind and generous, and he had the gift of childlike wonder. He loved his job. I can't count the times where he came home endlessly excited about what he did off-world, or what artifact he studied, or new race that links back to an ancient Earth civilisation. And I owe that to you, because anyone who saw Daniel happy were given a gift. But you gave that gift to Daniel, Catherine." Peter said, Catherine, smiled at Peter and nodded softly. 

"The fourth, General George Hammond, who is with us today. Daniel talked about you with an unmatched level of respect. There were many times where there was a situation where you had to consider strategic need, versus humanitarian need. And Daniel always, always trusted your decision as a leader, but also as a man. You were patient with him, even when he talked nonsense, or when he was frustrated. 

"And I'd like to thank you for not firing him when I found out about his occupation because I went snooping in his office. But I'd like to thank you for all the times you looked after Daniel, and when you personally called me and informed me of the delays he would be experiencing, or when he'd hurt himself. But especially for all the times when I came running to the compound when he was injured, offering to let me sit in his office with a personally made hot chocolate. You are truly a man who deserves unwavering respect." Peter finished, sniffling again when George smiled kindly up at him. Peter turned to he was facing the remaining SG-1. 

"The members of SG-1. I'll start with Brigadier General Jack O'Neill." Peter paused, smiling when Jack looked beyond shocked. 

"I know that you're shocked you're on this list, but you are, because Daniel cared about you, and loved you, and respected you. Although I can't count the amount of times he came home fuming about something you said, or angry because you called him a geek one too many times. He did respect you. As a man, a friend and a leader. Although you don't know me, the things Daniel has told me about you have shaped me into my teen years. Because you even though Daniel liked to call you uneducated, impulsive and childish, he also had many other words to describe you with." Peter cleared his throat and smiled at Jack, who even though he wouldn't admit it had tears running down his face. 

"Strong. Courageous. Intelligent. Thoughtful. Caring. Thank you for sticking by his side throughout the years and treating him with respect and friendship." Peter said, smiling for a moment before locking eyes with Sam. 

"And next, Major Samantha Carter. Along with being an immensely intelligent woman who gave Daniel a run for his money, you are also an exceptionally skilled fighter. I know there are hundreds of times where you saved Daniel's life, and I don't want you to think that this was the one time you couldn't. Because if we had a time machine we both know we would never be able to bring him back, but instead tell him how much we loved him, and cherished his friendship." Peter paused for a moment, closing his eyes again. 

"Because he cherished your friendship and loved you more than he ever mentioned. Maybe it was because he was horrible at expressing his emotions, feelings, but I think it was because he wasn't used to someone offering him friendship. He never forgot all the times you defended him, listened to his theories or sat by his bed when he was injured. Thank you for giving him someone he could rely on." Peter said, Sam smiled softly as he turned to lock eyes with Teal'c.

"And the last remaining member of SG-1, Teal'c of Chulak. Daniel held you on a pedestal, a skilled fighter, a kind father, and a loyal friend. You never batted an eye to Daniel's curiosity and wonder, nor did you discourage his interest. You taught him life lessons, self-acceptance, self defense, and you taught him that no matter what he was always worthy of love. And you gave him love, so much of it. You were his friend, someone he could always fall back on, who would listen to him, who would understand his jokes and truly listen to him. Thank you for listening when no one would." Peter sniffled and turned to Janet finally.

"And the last person, Dr Janet Fraiser. A fierce protector of the good, and people. I can't count the times you called me up and explained what stupid thing he did this time, or how he managed to hurt himself. You are were the first person other than General Hammond to discover me, he'd just gotten back from a mission, and I came straight from school. You walked into the room and I was holding his hand, you didn't even bat an eye, you reassured me that he would be okay and that you'd take care of him. And I found that you did that for him too, and hundreds of other people in a day. And I think sometimes that's all that Daniel needed." Peter took in a deep breath and closed his eyes again.

"Daniel always said that he wanted to be cremated, but that he wanted a burial service. He was never religious. But he understood that religion brings people together, it protects them, it binds them. But I think most of all it extinguishes that never-ending fear you feel when you think about the future." Peter leaned his forehead on his hand, propping himself up in his elbow.

"But now, I'm talking to Daniel. There so much that I would want to say if you were here but I'll just say this. I love you, dad." Peter said softly, picking up his palm cards and shakily stepping down the steps, not meeting anyone's eyes at he stumbled down the ail, loosening his tie and breathing heavily. He wiped his face on his sleeve, the priest had stepped back up to the podium, speaking about the after service. Peter ignored it, opening the doors and stumbling down the steps. His eyes immediately found the park bench opposite the church, falling into it, putting his head in his hands.

He pressed his knuckles into his eyes, sobbing into his palms. He could hear the steady stream of people coming out of the church. He didn't look up when he felt people sit next to him, wiping his eyes and nose, keeping his head in his hands. He could tell his hair was a mess, and he looked like shit, tie loosened, blazer undone, and shoes probably scuffed beyond relief.

"So a son? I never thought I'd see the day when Daniel had a son." Jack said sarcastically. Peter sniffled, chuckling softly.

"Yeah, he always was a prude wasn't he." Peter said, resting his chin on his closed fists.

"So how old are you?" Sam asked.

"I turned sixteen two months ago." Peter said softly, sniffling again. He felt like someone was stomping on his head.

"How old were you when he started fostering you?" Jack asked, Peter shrugged.

"I moved in with him on my eleventh birthday. Pretty good birthday present." Peter said softly.

"You said something about him saving you? What was that about?" Jack asked. Peter glanced at him for a long moment. Jack quirked an eyebrow and leaned away from Peter to stare at him.

"My bio parents died when I was a baby. And none of my family wanted me, so I went in and out of the foster system. Not a fun time. The typical treatment, neglect, abuse, all the works. He was, he was in New York for a University thing and walked into his old group home. And I was the only one that didn't jump up from the couches and run over jumping up and down asking to be adopted. Because I didn't want to be, I was hurt, and angry, and sad. But he saw past that and saw me, an insecure little kid that all he needed was a hug." Peter said, his voice wobbling at the end, fresh tears spilling out of his eyes again.

"Daniel was a foster kid too." Sam said, Peter nodded.

"Yeah, he did this whole speech about opening up and growing up, and I screamed and yelled at him with all of my eleven-year-old might. And he took it. He just stood there with a patient smile with his arms crossed over his chest, cocking his head and watching me lose my mind. I think that made me even madder because I wasn't used to that reaction to anger. And then I calmed down and could barely breathe. He sat down next to me, and just hugged me. And I had no idea what he was doing. I just sat there and I started crying cause I dunno, I felt safe, like no one could hurt me ever again." Peter sniffled again, being his knees up to his chest.

"But I guess I'm not gonna feel like that again," Peter said quietly.

"I always wondered why Daniel was so excited to get back to Earth, or why he insisted on having his weekends free," Sam said.

"Or the curious amount of school textbooks in his office." Teal'c added, Peter smiled.

"I used to go to his office and do my work after school if he was caught off-world to wait for him," Peter said.

"There's so much that we should have said earlier isn't there?" Jack asked, Peter nodded.

"Yeah. There's a lot. God everything so messed up now. If I had just told him I had loved him one more time and finally told him all the things I wanted then maybe this wouldn't be so bad." Peter said.

"You were right when you said Daniel always knew more about the world then he knew. He could always see past a mask." Sam said.

"And he was exceptionally observant," Teal'c added. Peter sniffled and nodded. He smiled softly at Catherine who slowly walked up to him, taking his face in her hands.

"Do you have somewhere to stay tonight Peter?" she asked, Peter nodded.

"I'm staying in the apartment until the will reading," Peter said, Catherine sighed.

"Not what I meant Pete, I mean do you have someone you are staying with tonight?" She asked, Peter shrugged.

"Not really," Peter said quietly, Catherine hummed, patting his shoulders.

"You're staying with me for a couple of days. We can watch those crappy sitcoms Daniel always loved." She said, Peter smiled and nodded, standing up slowly.

"Go wait I'm the car honey, doors open." She said, pointing to her car. Peter nodded and sluggishly walked off.

"He loved that boy with everything he had," Catherine said quietly.

"I can see why." Teal's said, Catherine nodded. 

—————————————————

Peter sat hunched over in the briefing room, he was still in the suit from the funeral the day after, he'd fallen asleep on Catherine's couch the second he lay down on it. He couldn't believe it when Jack called him saying that they found Daniel, and that he was back. Peter was leant of the table, a hand covering his mouth, tears dripping over his knuckles and then onto the table. 

He shot up from his seat when the door opened, Jack stood there and stepped into the room, revealing Daniel, standing there staring at Peter. 

"Dad?" Peter breathed, Daniel's eyebrows seeped into his hairline. Peter let out a loud choked sob before breaking into a run, crashing into Daniel. Daniel glanced at Jack who mouthed that he'd explain later. 

"You're back. You're back." Peter cried into his shoulder, Daniel closed his eyes and started rubbing Peter's back. 

"Since when did you call me dad?" Daniel asked after a beat of silence. 

"Since I thought you were dead and had to come to terms with everything I wished I'd said to you and told you while you were alive but you are alive so it's fine." Peter rushed out, Daniel nodded, swaying Peter slightly in his arms. 

"Please don't tell me you had a funeral," Daniel said quietly, Peter couldn't help but grin. 

"I planned the whole thing, so don't worry, it was modest," Peter said, Daniel nodded. 

"Catherine recorded the eulogy. Peter said some very nice things about you, Daniel." Jack teased. Daniel narrowed his eyes. 

"Why'd you do the Eulogy?" Daniel asked quietly, Peter shrugged, holding Daniel tighter around his middle. 

"Cause I love you. Like a lot, more then I've ever, ever loved someone. And I thought you were dead, and I thought I'd never get to tell you that." Peter said, Daniel was silent for a moment. 

"You know I love you right Peter?" Daniel asked softly, Peter laughed quietly into his shoulder. 

"Yeah, I do." He said, pulled back and wiped his face, Daniel narrowed his eyes at the suit he was wearing. 

"Is that my suit?" He asked, Peter grinned. 

"Perhaps." He said, Daniel, rolled his eyes and threw an arm around Peter's shoulders. 

"So this whole thinking you'd never get to tell me things, care to give me an example?" Daniel asked, Peter narrowed his eyes for a moment, forgetting Jack in the room as they made their way through the hallways. 

"I'm gay," Peter said firmly, Daniel paused for a moment and then kept walking. 

"So that's why you always have your door closed when Ned's over." Daniel teased, Peter made a face and made a gagging noise. 

"Gross. I did not need my dad saying that to me."


	42. Breakroom

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An-Fem Peter Parker who interns with Stark Industries (No spider powers)(The Avengers are the OG six, Bucky and Wanda)
> 
> TW-Attempted rape, mentions of attempted rape

"Penny is outside the door with the coffee orders sir," FRIDAY said, Tony blinked and sat up. 

"Why doesn't she just open the door?" Tony asked, straightening his blazer. He was sitting in the most boring meeting ever with the rest of the Avengers, Fury, Hill and a few other SHIELD agents. 

"She is carrying all the coffee at once sir," FRIDAY said. Tony sighed and opened the door, in stepped Penny who had a concentrated look on her face. She was carrying a stack of coffees in their holders, gripping the bottom holder extremely tight as she put it down on the table slowly. She lifted the top box off and put it on the table, spreading the boxes off. Everyone took their coffees with a small smile. 

"Why didn't you carry them one by one?" Tony asked, taking his three coffees. Penny narrowed her eyes, re-stacking the containers. 

"Aunt May didn't raise no bitch." Penny said firmly, looking up at Tony, who burst into laughter. 

"You are one complicated kid Pen." Tony said, sipping his coffee. After a moment he looked back up at Penny who was mopping up the spilled coffee. 

"You haven't looked at who else is in the room have you?" Tony asked. Penny drew in a sharp breath a looked up, her entire face turning a dark shade of red. 

"Holy Hans Solo." She breathed, straightening her back and tugging on the bottom of her cropped polo shirt. If only she had decided to dress better; Cropped polo shirt, high waisted jeans, hair pulled back by a headband, several slightly rusted necklaces and beaten up red converse matching her shirt. She nervously pushed up her glasses on her nose. 

"Team, Fury, Hill, SHIELD agents, meet Penelope Parker, my intern." Tony said, already on his second coffee. 

"Nice to meet you." Penny said quietly, hugging the containers to her chest. 

"Since when did you take interns?" Fury asked, Tony shrugged. 

"Since her talent was being wasted in the R&D labs, and she managed to stop an explosion in my lab with quick thinking when she brought coffee up." Tony said, sipping his coffee again. Penny smiled sheepishly in response. 

"Oh, I want to hear this." Natasha said, Penny grinned. 

"He was running on three hours of sleep and was about to mix potassium and water. I managed to slam a cover over the water before he added it. He then proceeded to ask how I spend my free time and why I was in the lower labs if I could identify a base metal in under thirty seconds." Penny said, Natasha smirked and looked pointedly at Tony. 

"You're hopeless." She said. Tony gasped. 

"I am not!" He defended. Penny grinned and continued mopping up the coffee, weaving around everyone. Someone's cup had definitely leaked. 

"Are too." Penny said in a sing-song voice. Tony gasped again. 

"I'll cut your paycheck." He threatened, Penny looked up at him. 

"I'll quit and move to Oscorp." She deadpanned, Tony paled. 

"No. Nevermind. I'll give you a raise." He blurted, Penny rose an eyebrow. 

"I didn't know I was that valuable." SHe muttered, lifting the cups of coffee and placing a napkin under each coffee, no one paid her touching the coffees any mind. 

"Jesus, how long have you guys been working together?" Steve asked, Penny shrugged. 

"I started working with Tony when I was fourteen, and I'm sixteen now." Penny said, tugging on the bottom of her crop top again. 

"And she makes some damn good coffee." Tony said, starting on his third cup.

"Sixteen huh? You look far older." One of the SHIELD agents said. Penny looked extremely uncomfortable under his gaze but flashed a fake smile. 

"Thank you." She said tightly. Tony noticed her stiff movements and the SHIELD agents unwavering gaze and leaned forward in a protective stance. 

"How late are you gonna be at the tower tonight Pen?" He asked. He grinned when his plan to make her more comfortable worked. Penny's face lit up as she tidied the stacks of magazines on the table, habit. 

"I'll leave at around five-thirty. I have a date with MJ." She said, a faint blush on her face. 

"You're trading me up for your girlfriend? I'm wounded Pen." Tony said in mock disbelief. Penny rolled her eyes and crossed her arms over her chest. 

"I'll trade you up for MJ any day." She deadpanned. Tony rolled his eyes. 

"Of course you would, traitor. Get a glass of water for yourself and then come back, you need to get used to being in meetings." Tony said, Penny nodded. The SHIELD agent who had eyed her up stood up as she walked out the door. 

"I think I'll follow Miss Parker and get a glass of water for myself." He said. 

"I can get it for you, I have two hands." Penny said, doing some jazz hands. 

"No worry, I want to see how Stark Industries is treating its youngest intern." He said, Penny nodded and led the man out of the room and down the hallway. 

"You're close?" Bucky asked, Tony nodded. 

"Yep, her aunt and I share custody. I'm planning on making her the heir to Stark Industries." Tony said. Bucky nodded, about to say something when they heard muffled yelling from down the hall. They all jumped up and ran down the hall, horrified when they found the SHIELD agent pinning Penny against the wall, a knee situated between Penny's legs, a hand up her shirt and the other unbuttoning her pants. Penny was fighting him with all of her strength, tears streaming down her face. 

"Come on darlin', we're just having fun." He teased. Penny cried out again. 

"I said get off of me!" She shouted. He just hummed and unzipped her jeans. Peny struggled for a moment before pulling something off of the waistband of her jeans, Pepper spray. She didn't hesitate before spraying him straight in the face, causing him to fall to the floor. She didn't waste a moment to pull up her jeans and do them back up, stumbling back into the cover of the room, holding the Pepper Spray tightly in her hand. The other SHIELD agents immediately hauled the agent on the floor off, while Tony tried to calm Penny down, who was in the middle of a panic attack. 

"Hey, Pens, It's me, it's Tony. Can you put the Pepper Spray down for me?" He asked gently, Penny shook her head frantically. 

"No. No. stay away from me." She said firmly, pressing herself into the corner of the room. Tony sighed, looking to Natasha and Wanda for help. 

"Penny you're okay, we are not going to let him hurt you. You're safe." Natasha said, Penny nodded slowly, lowering the Pepper Spray slightly. 

"There you go. See, we aren't going to hurt you." Wanda said, making Penny lower the Pepper Spray until it was in her lap. 

"Can you tell us what happened?" Natasha asked, Penny shook her head frantically. 

"You aren't in trouble kiddo, we just want to make sure he gets into trouble. What he did was really really bad." Tony said gently. Penny nodded. 

"Can we, can we call MJ?" Penny asked hesitantly. Tony nodded and pulled out his phone. He was thankful for once that Penny had put MJ's number in his phone for emergencies. 

"What's up, Mr Stank?" MJ said, Penny would have laughed if the situation were any different. 

"Uh, well, something happened and Penny's having a panic attack." Tony said, for a moment he was met with silence and then cursing. 

"Okay, put the phone on speaker. Penny doesn't like moving when she's having a panic attack. Don't touch her, but sit close to her." MJ instructed. Tony followed her instructions and sat as close to Penny as he could without touching her. Expensive slacks be damned. He put the phone on speaker and put it on the floor at Penny and his feet. Penny seemed to have calmed down enough to talk. 

"What happened Pen?" MJ asked, Penny was silent for a moment, hugging herself around the middle and bringing her knees up to her chest. 

"Freshmen year." She said quietly. It was obvious MJ knew what she meant because there was a sharp intake of breath from MJ. 

"Oh, Penny," MJ said softly. Penny only sniffled in response, wiping her eyes hurriedly. 

"It was happened to fast, he said he was gonna get a glass of water and I was throwing away the coffee cup holders and I guess it was enough for him to pin me against the wall and I was back there and I couldn't think and I thought-" Penny cut herself off, shaking her head and burying her face in her knees. Tony and the Avengers watched in sadness and confusion. 

"Penny, you need to listen to me. You're safe, and you aren't back there, you're at Stark towers and Tony Stark is next to you. No one is going to hurt you while you're there." MJ said firmly, Penny sniffled into her knees. 

"Promise?" She asked, muffled by her jeans. 

"I promise Penny. I promise. And Tony promises too." MJ said, Tony took this as his cue to speak.

"I will never ever let you get hurt while I'm here. Never." Tony promised. Penny sniffled again in response. 

"Okay, see Penny? I'll meet you at the tower. We have a date with your bed, lots of blankets, cuddles and Netflix. Does that sound good?" MJ asked gently. 

"Yeah." Penny said quietly, MJ quickly said her goodbyes and hung up. Penny finally withdrew her knees from her chest and took a deep breath. 

"That was scary." He said quietly. Tony nodded. 

"Can I hug you Pens? And I allowed?" He asked, Penny nodded and leaned toward him, curling into his side. 

"Agent Hollow will be taken care of and I will personally ensure he is unable to do that ever again. By apologies Miss Parker." Fury said, crouching in front of Penny who shook her head. 

"Not your fault. Not anyone's fault." Penny said firmly, Fury nodded. 

"We will continue our meeting later. I hope you feel better Miss Parker." Fury said, Penny nodded and smiled tightly at him as he stood up. Hill and the other SHIELD agents followed him out of the room. 

"You did good kiddo, you handled that really really well. You were really brave." Tony said firmly, hugging Penny to his side. Maybe not the most glamorous place to have a panic attack; a tiny break room that smelt like coffee beans and milk. 

"Still really scary." Penny responded. Tony hummed. 

"Would be scary for anyone. Where'd the Pepper Spray come form though? It came out of nowhere, like a secret weapon." Tony said in mock awe, this got a grin out of Penny who's body was slowly relaxing, the tears finally stopping. 

"Little pocket at the front. The cans are only three dollars and they're really small so no one sees them." Penny explained, Tony hummed. 

"Since when did you carry Pepper Spray though?" He asked worriedly. Penny shrugged as best she could with Tony's arms restricting her. 

"Almost every girl I know carries them. I started carrying them in Freshmen year after something happened." Penny said quietly, her eyes going glassy suddenly. 

"Is that what you and MJ meant when you said freshmen year?" Natasha asked, sitting down slowly in front of Penny and Tony. The rest of the team followed, getting comfortable on the floor. 

"Yeah. This boy in my class started stalking me and he snuck into the girls change rooms after gym class and you know, tried to, tried to." Penny stopped short, knowing they got the message, "MJ walked in because I hadn't come out and she got him off me before he could get my underwear off. Ned was the one that suggested Pepper Spray. But I hadn't had to use it until today." Penny said. Tony's face suddenly took on that of realisation. 

"Oh my god, that day two years ago, you came in with MJ up to the penthouse and you had to stay the night. I was so confused, but I makes so much sense now." Tony sid frantically, Penny nodded. 

"Yeah, I only told MJ and Ned for a while until they convinced me to tell May, who told the principal and he got expelled. You were really great that night, you didn't even know what had happened but you didn't care. You just gave me a blanket and sent me off to the guest rooms with MJ." Penny said, Tony nodded, holding Penny tighter. 

"Let's get you up to the common rooms Pen. You can steal the Star Wars discs from the lounge room if you want." Tony said, helping Penny up off of the floor. Penny shook her head. 

"IT chapter two just came out on Netflix, MJ and I wanted to watch it together," Penny said, staying close to Tony's side as he helped her into the elevator. 

"Rightio, so if I hear, screaming or crying don't mention it?" Tony asked, Penny nodded. 

"Horry movie disguised as a gay love story." Penny teased, Tony rolled his eyes. 

"With murderous, cannibalistic killer clowns." Tony reasoned, Penny nodded, stepping out of the elevator with Tony and the rest of the team. 

"You and your girlfriend are some weird girls."


	43. Shifter

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An-Peter is a cat shifter, explained in the story

Being a shifter wasn't necessarily rare, but it wasn't common. Peter had been taught to hide it from the moment he was born. His parents, Ben, May, even Mr Delmer told him he had to hide it. He hadn't been in the same room as so many shifters until he met the Avengers. Sure, sometimes there were a few in his classes, or in the hall, who would suddenly have to shift or they would get aggressive and anxious. Peter had that sometimes, but usually, all he had to do was shift once a day and he'd be fine.

The Avengers were funny sometimes, they were like a really weird fairy tale. Peter had a problem with his cat instinct of needing scent everything and anything that he considered him. Usually, that just consisted of hugging the life out of someone, or at other times nuzzling into things in his cat form.

The questions started when Peter moved into the tower after May was offered a job opportunity out of state. The team were very curious as to who's scent covered Peter's possessions, clothing, furniture and his very being.

Other times, Peter just had downright strange habits and rituals. It was well known that a shifter in their human form would take on characteristics of their shifter form. For Peter that meant some very hard to explain habits.

At least three showers a day, hatred of sudden cold or wetness, constant meticulous grooming of his skin, nails, hair and clothing, a very extreme fondness for fish and meat. And at times Peter was lazy and unresponsive, draped over couches and chairs in the sunlight. Many times you could find Peter sprawled out or curled up on the floor in the sun in the living room. Other times Peter could be found climbing on top of things and tucking into corners or tight spaces. And not to mention that he was almost vomiting inducingly flexible.

The team only found out because Bucky and Steve were shifted in their very intimidating dog forms. Peter's heart automatically raced every time the two shifted, his hands sweating and shaking in anxiety. Recently more and more of his feline traits had been showing through because he had less and less opportunities to shift into his cat form. Even Peter was shocked when he hissed and spat at Bucky, who had bounded up to him and placed his head in his lap for pets.

Peter continued to hiss and spit at him until he slowly shifted into his feline state. He proceeded at bap Bucky's nose hard enough to make him let out a loud whimper. Peter hissed in response, bapping him again and again until he backed away. The last dog shifter he had come into contact with in his cat form had tried to tear him limb from limb.

Everyone watched wide-eyed as Bucky shied away from Peter and shifted back into human form. When Tony tried to step up to Peter, his hackles raised, his back arching high, his claws bared along with his teeth, growling louder then anyone had ever heard, hissing for good measure. Tony pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration, of course, this was what Peter was hiding, not some secret crush or failed test paper.

Peter continued to hiss frantically in fear as Steve, still in his dog form bounded up to him and tried to comfort him. He also received the same treatment as Bucky, several nose baps and almost a scratched up eye.

Peter was terrified out of his mind, most dog shifters were aggressive and territorial. Flash was a dog shifter, and he was delighted to torment Peter in his own shifter form.

Tony sighed and stepped in front of Peter with an unimpressed and unamused expression in his face, cocking his head and putting his hands on his hips.

"You stop this right now Peter or I'll call Aunt May." He threatens. Peter's back immediately went back to normal and he stopped hissing, his hackles were still raised and he was still growling though. Tony rolled his eyes and picked Peter up by the scruff of his neck so Peter was dangling in the air.

Peter let out several frantic meows, using his bottom legs to get a hold on Tony's chest, trying to squirm out of his hold. He meowed in protest when Tony rolled his eyes again and pressed Peter into his chest, forcing him into a very tight and squishy hug. Peter's ears were pressed against his head, the growling had stopped and his hackles were down though, so that was progress. Tony chuckled and plopped Peter back down on the couch, where Peter sat obediently and curling his tail around his legs, the tip flicking, thumping against the couch every now and again.

"Are you going to change back or not?" Tony said in an impatient voice. Peter meowed loudly in response, narrowing his eyes. Tony rolled his eyes and sat heavily next to Peter, causing him to almost fly off the couch. Peter meowed loudly again, settling back on the couch next to Tony. He was about to hiss when he remembered what Tony had done not ten minutes ago. He hated being held. He meowed again before shifting back, settling uncomfortably on the couch. He tucked his legs under himself and ran a hand through his hair.

"Are you going to apologise?" Tony prompted, Peter crosses his arms over his chest and shook his head. Tony rolled his eyes and raised a hand, Peter's eye immediately widened in fear. Tony was also a canine, but a hyena. Peter fell to the floor when Tony places his hand on Peter's shoulder, causing Peter to instinctively revert back to his cat state. Tony pinched the bridge of his nose again in frustration.

"So you don't like canines. Are you going to explain why?" Tony asked. Peter let out a hiss in response. He meowed in protest when someone picked him up, holding him tightly to their chest. Peter tried his best to struggle out of their grip but they held him firm. He only relaxed slightly when he realised it was Pietro, he was a cheeta. Pietro grinned down at him.

"I think he likes me." He said, his accent bleeding into the sentence. Peter growled in response, hissing up at Pietro and trying again to squirm out of his grip. Pietro rolled his eyes and let Peter dangle in front of him, holding him out like Simba. Peter hated it when people did that to him. He managed to reach his bottom leg up to one of Pietros hand, his hands were held tight.

"I understand your mistrust and aggression towards canines. But whatever has happened to you should not affect your view of the canines on the team. They would stop at nothing to protect you, feline or not." Pietro said, wrapping his arm around Peter's chest and stroking his head. Peter had to admit that that did feel nice, it wasn't everyday people petted him. Pietro put him down with a soft plump on the carpet, Peter looked up at him and meowed before stalking back to the couch he previously occupied, changing back and shivering.

"I'm sorry I acted out and hurt you. I got scared." Peter said regretfully, looking towards Steve and Bucky who looked liked kicked puppies.

"It's okay, not everyone's a dog person," Bucky said, Peter couldn't fight the grin making its way into his face.

"I do think of myself as more of a cat person." Peter drawled, leaning back into the couch and crossing his arms over his chest, crossing his legs under himself.

"No one in my family is a shifter, I'm the only one. So the first time it happened everyone was shocked, I was still a kitten," Peter paused, narrowed his eyes, "a kid when it happened. I'm small now but think smaller than your hand tiny. We were at the park and I started playing around with this wolf cub, his dad was one of those traditionals who didn't like his canine son interacting with a feline. He picked me up and he started crushing me in his mouth and I was terrified out of my mind because I couldn't change back." Peter was about to continue when Steve interrupts.

"But that's so wrong! You were a kitten! He could have killed you! The laws have changed! You can interact with whoever you want!" Steve exclaimed, Peter nodded.

"That's not all though. No one really knows that I'm a shifter, except for one boy at my school. It was an accident, he touched the back of my neck and I froze and automatically shifted. He's a stupid Golden retriever. He always does these things he knows with make me shift and then he pesters me." Peter said, shivering lightly.

"But it's fine because I told May who told the school and he's been moved out of all my classes so I'm safe and no one knows." Peter bludged, blushing madly. Everyone nodded, Tony narrowed his eyes at Peter who was tugging on the ends of his sleeves.

"How often do you shift?" Tony asked, Peter shrugged.

"I usually only do it when no ones around." He said quietly. He didn't miss the sharp intake of breath from everyone. It could be exceptionally dangerous to shift on your own, most animals had a pack instinct.

"The scenting! It's your scent that's on everything! And the hugs! It makes so much sense now!" Clint blurted, Peter nodded in embarrassment.

"It's ok kiddo, we know what feline instincts are like." Tony said. Peter shrugged.

"But it's different cause I'm a house cat. I'm literally a glorified house cat. I'm not joking." Peter said, motioning with his hands a little. Tony narrowed his eyes and smirked.

"Have you ever been pet before?" Tony asked, Peter reddened even further and shook his head.

"It's embarrassing." He muttered, fiddling with the loose threads of the couch.

"Why's it embarrassing?" Steve asked. Peter looked away from him and huffed.

"Cause I start purring and can't stop and then I get sleepy. May used to pet me when I was a kitten." Peter said quietly. He let out a breath he didn't know he was holding when no one laughed.

"It's not weird you know. Stevie and I have that thing dogs do when you scratch their ears and it gives them a high because hormones are released." Bucky said, waving a hand. Peter sighed.

"It's just weird cause I can purr even when I'm not shifted so physical contact is a no go," Peter said firmly. Tony narrowed his eyes.

"No one cares here you know. We all know you can't help your instincts when you're in your shifter form." Tony said. Peter was getting really tired of this conversation and just sighed, shifting into his cat form and curling up into a tight ball on the couch.

"Am I getting the silent treatment?" Tony asked incredulously. Peter meowed pointedly in response.

"That's it," Tony said, reaching out and petting Peter's head. He couldn't help but immediately relax, spreading out on the couch and pressing his head against Tony's hand. Tony grinned as he watched Peter spread out on the couch, stretching his legs out in front of him and then moving closer to Tony.

"See. Not so bad." Tony said. If Peter could roll his eyes he would. He stood up and bumped his head against Tony's hand, slowly stepping up into Tony's lap, his small paws weren't good for this.

"His paws are so tiny." Natasha cooed, sliding off her couch and advancing on Peter. She picking up one of his paws and stroked it in her hands. Peter didn't like that much and slid his hand out of her grip and shook his paw rapidly. Natasha cooed in response, reaching up to stroke Peter's back. And good lord did that feel nice. Peter let out a small meow, his mouth hanging open slightly as his chest started rumbling with loud purrs.

"Oh my god, you're so loud," Wanda said, sliding off her own couch and walking over to pat Peter's head. Tony made a noise at the amount of hair landing on his lap.

"Sorry kid but I'm gonna need to cut this short, these are my nice dress pants," Tony said, nudging Peter slightly. Peter meowed in disappointment and slowly got off of Tony, still purring loudly.

"I have to agree with Tony, cat fur is hard to get out of clothes," Natasha said, most everyone agreed, except for Steve and Bucky.

"I wouldn't mind some Peter cuddles." Bucky said suddenly, Peter narrowed his eyes before slinking off the council and stalking towards Bucky. Bucky looked slightly apprehensive with Peter coming towards him.

"Promise you won't bap me?" Bucky said hesitantly when Peter jumped up on the couch. Peter meowed loudly in response, slowly getting comfortable in Bucky's lap. He had to admit that Bucky's lap was very very comfortable. Bucky smirked and immediately started using his metal hand to stretch Peter's head, and Jesus Christ was that nice. Peter let out a small meow, stretching on Bucky's lap. He reached out his front leg and nudged Steve.

"Is that my apology?" Steve asked. Peter meowed loudly in response blinking slowly. Steve smiled and reached out a hand and petted Peter's head, making him meow quietly again. When Bucky shifted subconsciously Peter jumped slightly, but calmed down when Bucky nuzzled into him. Peter meowed again and cuddled in with him. Steve narrowed his eyes for a moment before shifting as well and cuddling in with Bucky and Peter.

"Now isn't that cute," Clint said. He was obviously jealous, everyone knew Bucky and Steve gave the best cuddles.

"Call it birdbrain, they're already asleep."


	44. Memories pt9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An-Shuri

"Why am I here again?" Peter asked anxiously. Tony and Pepper had made him dress up, his nicest jeans, button-down, tie and his least beaten up converse. It wasn't really majorly dressed up but it was more then Peter had done in at least six months.

"Because we were invited for dinner. That includes you." Tony said, he tightened Oeters tie. They were standing at the bottom of the jet stairs and Peter was having trouble with his tie.

"Please tell me I didn't already know these people?" Peter pleaded. Tony paused for a moment and avoided Peter's eyes, making him groan.

"I knew you weren't going to come if you knew," Tony mumbled. Peter squeezed his eyes shut and sighed, he was refraining from hitting Tony over the head.

"Come on boys." People said, standing beside Peter and walking with them. Peter's hand switched in nervousness behind his back as they walked towards four people. A girl his age, a man in his early twenties, a woman in her twenties and what looked like their mother. Peter swallowed nervously when the four smiled at them. He almost combusted when the eldest woman pulled him in for a firm hug. Tony and Pepper froze at the contact.

"It's so lovely to see you, Peter, we haven't seen you in months. Wakanda has missed you." She said, Peter shifted nervously and looked to Tony for help.

"Are you okay Peter?" The man said, Peter looked at Tony pleadingly.

"Peter was kidnapped, and tortured. He can't remember anyone. He's been getting his memories of people back slowly." Tony explained. The four standing there were silent for several moments, mouths open in shock and a mix of sadness. Peter looked away nervously, they didn't even know the start of it.

"So you don't remember us?" The youngest girl asked. Peter paused for a moment and then shook his head.

"I can remember this place, but no. It's like memories with certain in people are just gone, or blurry." Peter said quietly. The girl nodded and held a hand up to her nose. Peter froze up, he was used to this. People crying.

"How have you been remembering?" The woman said, Peter shrugged.

"Usually the memories are triggered by an emotional attachment to something. Like an action, a sentence, or a scenario." Pepper explained.

"Does he remember both of you?" The man asked. Tony and Pepper shared a glance.

"No, he remembers Tony, but not me," Pepper said quietly. Peter looked away for a moment, he tried, but he can't.

"You must have been the first person he remembered then Tony." The woman who had hugged him earlier said.

"No actually, Bucky was the first one. I didn't remember him for a long time." Peter said.

"Well, then we won't get our hopes up."

—————————————————

Dinner was awkward. Peter knew their names, and he knew he was close to them, but he had no idea why or how. He was in the same room as royalty and eating dinner with them. He was still struggling with using utensils, his hands didn't shake anymore but they would jerk and then tremble for a moment occasionally. Shuri kept glancing at him whenever his hand would jerk. Peter found himself staring down at his plate and not talking much. He wasn't really sure how to interact with people anymore now that he was out of the loop.

"You are a very interesting white boy," Shuri commented, Peter couldn't help but grin and look up at her.

"I like to think so," Peter said. Shuri chuckled for a moment. Peter smile faltered, his hand freezing, dropping his fork with a clatter onto the plate. He vaguely heard Pepper, Tony, Shuri, T'challa, Okoye and Romanda hurriedly rushing time pull him back from the table.

_"What's this coloniser doing in my lab?"_

_"Whoa okay, is this normal? I'm not really used to being hoisted into the air by my ankle."_

_"No, no, I am not letting you experiment on my DNA."_

_"No, it's all me. Not in the suit."_

_"You created boots based off of Spiderman? Dude, oh my god."_

_"No, no, you gonna land on your toes then go down."_

_"Woah! Look at this! Did you make this? Wicked!"_

_"Just punch it? Okay. Sure. Why are you filming though?"_

_"I'm fine! That was so cool! It took my velocity and translated it? That's so cool!"_

_"Yeah! I named her after Planktons wife! Of course, I did. Why wouldn't I?"_

_"Yeah, my DNA was remodelled. Yeah! I'm like literally half spider."_

_"Oh yeah, I can't thermoregulate. Yeah, you have no idea how many blankets are on my bed at home."_

_"I love you bitch. I ain't ever gon' stop lovin' you, biiitch."_

_"Wait oh my god I didn't expect you to understand that."_

_"You are officially the meme queen."_

_"Yes, I like to think so."_

Peter blinked rapidly when he came to. Someone had taken his tie off and unbuttoned his top button, and his sleeves were rolled up to his elbows. He wasn't in the dining hall anymore, he was in a room full of lounges. He vaguely registered Tony next to him rubbing his back.

"You okay Underoos?" Tony asked gently. Peter put a hand on his forehead and groaned quietly, nodding his head.

"Relatively speaking," Peter muttered. Tony hummed and patting his shoulder.

"There's my Peter. You full-on blacked out that time." Tony said. Peter nodded slowly.

"I have a massive headache this time too," Peter said quietly.

"Who did you remember?" T'challa asked. Peter looked up and locked eyes with Shuri, grinning widely.

"I feel honoured to be in the same room as the meme queen." Peter drawled, pulling a fake English accent. Shuri's eyes lit up immediately, jumped up from her own seat. She raced over to Peter and threw her arms around Peter's shoulders. Peter hugged her back.

"Are you crying?" Shuri asked, voice clogged with tears.

"No," Peter muttered. Shuri sniffled and nodded into his shoulder.

"Neither am I."


	45. PaceMaker

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> AN-Steve and Bucky go to adopt a kid (No spider-man)

"These are all of our younger kids, babies, toddlers and kids. Out eldest is fifteen, he's been here most of his life." The carer said, Bucky and Steve nodded along. All of the kids were gathered in the living room, reading or playing games with each other. 

"And what are they like?" Bucky asked. They didn't want a little kid, they wanted someone who could be left alone for a while if they were on a mission and would be fine home alone. 

"Oh, he's lovely. He is supposed to be here but he has a habit of being late, rides his bike everywhere. A careless little boy. Shy at best, but extremely gently and kind. Smart too. Oh, that must be him, he's the only one with a set of keys." She said, on cue the door open and in burst a teenage boy. He had thick wire-rimmed glasses, and Bucky honestly thought he looked like pre-serum Steve. And if the way he was breathing was anything to go by, he had asthma just like Steve. 

"Honey I'm home!" He shouted, causing all of the little children to jump up and race over to him. 

"Peter! You're home!" One of the little girls shouted. 

"I am! I got home as soon as I could because I have good news!" Peter said excitedly, hoising the little girl up into his arms, positioning her on his hip and pulling one of the other little girls onto his other hip. 

"What's the news, Peter?" One of the boys aksed, Peter grinned down at him and spun in circles with the two girls. 

"MJ said yes!" He said excitedly, all of the children surrounding him yelled excitedly. 

"You have a girlfriend?" One of the little girls said sadly. Peter dropped the two girls on his hips in favour of picking up the girl in question. 

"Don't worry, I'll always have room for you in my heart." Peter said, pressing a kiss onto her forehead, putting her on his shoulders and stomping around, making several of the little kids giggle loudly. 

"Peter honey can you put Masey down? There's a couple here." The carer said. Peter carefully put Masey down and shrugged. 

"I'll just go to my room, I just get in the way of the little kids." He said quietly, straightening Masey's cardigan. 

"Quite the opposite, we actually wanted to get to know you," Bucky said, leaning on the doorframe. Peter's back straightened suddenly, his backpack jolting slightly. He placed a hand on his chest for a moment, taking a few deep breaths. 

"Jesus Christ man, did no one tell you not to scare a teenager with a pacemaker?" Peter asked, resting on his hands on his knees. When he looked up his eyes bulged out of his head, he blinked rapidly before nodding slowly. 

"I'm gonna sit down. Yep, I'm having another heart attack. This is not happening." Peter said, slightly breathlessly as he sat heavily in one of the couches. 

"You aren't having another heart attack, Peter." The carer said unimpressed. 

"Then what the hell is James Barnes doing here?" Peter said, looking up at the ceiling. 

"And Steve Rogers," Steve said. Peter snapped his head up and then slammed it back down on the couch. 

"Any more surprises?" Peter asked. Bucky and Steve shared a glance and grinned at each other. 

"We want to foster you."

\------------------------------

"This is a bad idea." Peter protested firmly. Bucky rolled his eyes and linked arms with Peter. 

"We aren't gonna let you have a heart attack kiddo," Bucky said firmly, Peter nodded. 

"Oh I have no doubt that you'd do everything in your power to stop it, but I don't think we have a choice when my heart beats out of my damn chest because you think it's a good idea to introduce me to the literal Avengers." Peter rushed out. Bucky chuckled and patted Peter's shoulder. 

"You'll be fine Pete." Steve reassured. Peter nodded. 

"Mhm, mhm, sure I am." Peter said. 

"The man of the hour!" Tony shouted once the three made it to the living room. Peter almost fainted on the spot. Peter strained a smile, he wasn't really good with new people. 

"Nothing special." Peter said nervously, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose. 

"The has to be something special for Steve and Bucky to adopt you," Natasha said, Peter rolled his eyes. 

"Nope, just a fifteen-year-old with a bad heart." Peter said, doing jazz hands for show. 

"Bad heart?" Clint asked. Peter cursed himself internally as he blushed darkly. 

"Arrhythmias." Peter explained. 

"And what do you do for it?" Bruce asked. 

"Pacemaker." Peter said nervously, Bruce nodded his head and went back to his book. 

"And does it work?" Wanda asked, Peter shrugged. 

"Well enough, sometimes I get chest pain but it's not as bad as it used to be," Peter said. 

"Bucky said something about heart attacks," Sam said, Peter shrugged again. 

"I had a heart attack when I was a toddler, and another when I was eight. If I get too stressed, or do anything that gets my heart going I could have another one." Peter said sheepishly. 

"Aren't those like really painful?" Clint asked, Peter nodded. 

"Extremely. More than anything in the world." Peter said with another nod. 

"That's just dandy. Now stop interrogating our son about his heart condition and play nice."

\----------------------

"No, I am not talking about this," Peter said adamantly, crossing his arms over his chest and looking up at the ceiling. Everyone giggled in response.

"Oh come on, we wanna know about your little girlfriend." Bucky teased, Peter stuck his bottom lip out in a pout. 

"This is child abuse," Peter said firmly. Bucky rolled his eyes. 

"Maybe we should have her over for family dinner," Steve said, Peter groaned and rolled over onto his chest. Peter narrowed his eyes and shot up from the couch, putting his hands on his hips. 

"We are not ever doing that. Ever." Peter was about to continue when he suddenly was overcome with dizziness, swaying on his feet and holding his head in his hands. He gasped in a breath of air and kneaded his chest with his knuckles. He couldn't breathe, oh god he couldn't breathe. And his whole torso hurt more then it had ever hurt. 

"Peter! Buddy! Are you okay?!" He heard Steve shout, Peter doubled over onto his hands and knees and shook his head frantically. 

"N-no, heart." Peter chocked out, clutching his shirt in his hand. 

"You aren't joking?" Bucky asked frantically, getting on his knees beside Peter, who shook his head as best he could. 

"No. Pace Maker. Heart attack." Peter all but shouted. He could remember what the symptoms of a heart attack were, and he remembered the feeling of his last one. 

"FRIDAY get someone from Medical here right now!"

\-----------------------

Peter blinked his eyes blearily and found himself staring up at a very white ceiling. Then he remembered the pacemaker, and the heart attack. He groaned and moved his arms slowly, bringing his elbows up underneath himself. He smiled to himself when he found Steve and Bucky sleeping by his bed. He reached out a hand and poked Bucky, who was closest to him. Bucky's head shot up and he shook himself awake. 

"Peter! You're awake!" He shouted, Peter made a whining noise and waved his hand. Bucky clamped his mouth shut and nudged Steve, who woke up and yawned. His eyes widened and then blinked. 

"You're awake!" He exclaimed. Peter nodded. 

"I am," Peter said tiredly. Steve nodded and tucked his chair closer to Peter's bed. 

"What happened?" Peter asked tiredly. 

"Before or after you passed out?" Bucky asked, Peter waved his hand and lowered himself back onto the pillow. 

"After. I remember the heart attack and being picked up, but I don't remember anything else." Peter said, yawning quietly. 

"Your pacemaker stopped working, causing you to have a heart attack. You had to have a coronary artery bypass surgery and a new pacemaker put in." Steve said, Peter let out a deep breath of air. 

"Ain't I special, a spiffy new Pace Maker?" Peter said teasingly. 

"And bed rest for the next few weeks," Bucky said firmly. 

"Aw man."

\---------------------------

"There he is." MJ said, Peter grinned lightly. He'd been stuck in a wheelchair until he was cleared for movement.

"Here I am." Peter said tiredly. 

"So what happened? I got the call during school that something had happened and you were asking for me." MJ asked, sitting down on one of the couches. 

"My pacemaker stopped working and I had a heart attack. I had to get surgery and a new Pace Maker." Peter said, wiggling his eyebrows. 

"Oh, and that's supposed to get me to swoon?" MJ asked, Peter shrugged. 

"When you can't have a bad boy you need to make compromises." Peter teased. 

"Oh? Well, I'm very happy with what I've got." MJ said, Peter put a playful hand to his chest. 

"Is that Michelle Jones being soft I hear?" Peter teased. 

"Not in a minute if you use my full name again." MJ threatened. Peter shrugged. 

"Wanna see the scar?" Peter asked with a raised eyebrow. MJ rolled her eyes. 

"Sure loser." She said, Peter grinned and pulled down the T-shirt he was wearing, showing the healing line running down the middle of his chest. 

"Peter and his girlfriend are some weird kids." Bucky whispered from the doorway of the living room. Peter had been staying in the compound medical wing while he healed. 

"No weirder than us."


	46. Totally not T

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An-Trans Peter Parker

"Okay, sterilise the big needle and the bottle," Peter said to himself, ripping open the sterile wipe and wiping down the needle and the bottle.

"Pierce the bottle with the big needle and pull prescribed amount." Peter continued, humming as he pulled the amount and then pulled out the needle, picking up the screw on smaller needle.

"Screw on the small needle, rod the needle of bubbles and measure on thigh," Peter said, rolling up his boxer briefs and measuring with his hands. He was about to push the needle in when his door slammed open, revealing Tony who's eyes were narrowed at Peter.

"What're you doing?" He asked. Peter blushed madly, there he was in a baggy T-shirt, his boxers, fluffy socks and Tony was in his doorway. Tony hadn't ever looked at his medical file, and Peter had neglected to tell him that he's trans so Tony had no idea what was happening.

"It's heroin!" Peter shouted. Tony rose an eyebrow, his eyes flickering down to the needle in Peter's hand, which was still in position.

"Really? Because I'm pretty sure you don't inject heroin into your thigh." Tony said, crossing his arms over his chest and leaning on the doorway.

"It's not heroin," Peter said quietly. Tony snorted and nodded.

"I knew that. But what is it?" Tony asked. Peter blushed even redder.

"Testosterone." He said quietly. Tony's eyes widened, his eyebrows seeping into his hairline.

"Testosterone? You're trans?" Tony asked, Peter blinked rapidly, fighting the tears gathering in his eyes.

"Yeah," Peter said quietly, his hands shaking slightly with the needle in his hands.

"Okay. You need help with that?" Tony asked, Peter shook his head.

"Nope." He said, pushing the needle in and injecting the testosterone evenly and keeping the needle in for a few moments before slowly pulling out and discarding the needle in the disposal box, and grabbing one of his special bandaids. He blushed when he realised he only had iron man ones left.

"Nice band-aids." Tony teased, Peter rolled his eyes and put his things back in the under bed box and pushing it under the bed.

"Shut up, I ran out of my others," Peter grumbled, rolling down his boxers and grabbing and pair of pyjama pants.

"And what were your other ones?" Tony asked with a cocked eyebrow, watching Peter closely who was massaging the injection sight.

"Spiderman ones," Peter said quietly. Tony cocked an eyebrow.

"I didn't even know they made those."

——————————————————

"How's school, Pete? I haven't seen you out of your room in days." Steve said, Peter grinned up at him.

"Just lots of homework and assignments. My classes are going good though, I don't have any more assignments until next term and I have a break so-" Peter was cut off by a frantic Wanda.

"Peter there's blood on the back of your hands!" She shouted. Peter's eyes widened, pulling on the back of his pants to look at the growing patch on the back of his pants.

"Oh shit. I got my period" he whispered.

"I thought you couldn't get that anymore," Tony said frantically.

"So did I. Oh this isn't good. I don't have any tampons or pads. Oh shit. This can't be happening. Oh no. Oh fuck. What the fuck do I do?" Peter exclaimed, panic seething into his voice. Tony placed his hands on Peter's shoulders.

"Pete. Underoos. You're fine. Just go to your room, shower and put on some new clothes. There'll be everything you need in the cabinet when you get out of the shower. I'll have some pain meds ready for when you come out again." Tony said, Peter nodded shakily and ran out of the room.

"What just happened?"

—————————————————

"FRIDAY? How's Peter doing?" Tony asked. There was silence for a moment before she replied.

"He is out of the shower, in fresh clothes and under approximately seventeen blankets on his bed," FRIDAY said solemnly. Tony sighed and stood up.

"I'll go to his room," Tony said quietly. Walking slowly to Peter's room, pressing his ear against the closed door. 

"Peter? Can I come in?" Tony asked, knocking on the door. When he didn't hear any response he opened the door and stepped into the pitch-black room and sat on the edge of Peter's bed. He put his hand on what he assumed to be Peter's ankle and pat him for a moment before peeling back the covers. Peter peeked out the top of the blanket and sniffled. 

"Go away." Peter pouted, Tony rolled his eyes and pulled the covers make further, making Peter curl in one himself. Tony frowned when he saw the straps of Peter's binder. 

"Binder off bud," Tony said firmly. He rolled his eyes again when Peter kicked his legs at Tony and made a whining noise. 

"So negotiating. Binder. Off. I'll wait." Tony said firmly. Peter groaned and pulled himself up off the bed and pulled off his shirt as he went, picking up the three sizes too big hoodie draped over the back of his chair and taking it into the bathroom. Tony drummed his thighs as he waited for Peter, grinning at Peter when he stomped out of the bathroom, throwing his binder in the direction of his laundry basket. 

"Happy?" Peter demanded. Tony cocked his head. 

"Yep. You're clean, in new comfy clothes, and coming with me to the common rooms." Tony said, linking arms with Peter. 

"But the team," Peter whined, Tony rolled his eyes and picked up several of the blankets off of Peter's bed. 

"No whining. You can hide under blankets. I have a stash of pain medication for Pep in the kitchen, and a hoard of chocolate." Tony said, pulling Peter into his side after wrapping him in two monstrously fluffy blankets. He heard a muffled reply out of the blankets and grinned, pushing Peter into one of the free double couches. Peter immediately covered himself from view with the blankets, bringing his feet up onto the couch. 

Tony sighed and made up his famous hot chocolate, a glass of water, grabbed some pain meds and a heat pack and came back into the lounge room. He handed Peter the heat pack first, he smiled a little when he saw a small hand reach out form the blankets and take it slowly and disappear back into the blankets. Tony grinned and held out the pain meds and the glass of water. He waited as the blankets shifted and then two hands reached out from the blankets, taking the medication and the glass, disappearing back into the blankets and then handing the glass back. 

Tony nodded and sat down next to Peter, holding out the hot chocolate. He heard a muffled sigh and smiled when Peter's head peaked out of the blankets, taking the hot chocolate slowly and blowing on it. 

"Thank you," Peter said quietly. Tony nodded.

"No problem," Tony said, patting Peter's hair, making him hiss quietly. Peter turned towards Tony's side and sipped the hot chocolate, humming in content. 

"Everyones staring at me," Peter whispered, Tony chuckled. 

"That's because you look like a marshmallow." Tony teased. Peter rolled his eyes and wrapped his hands around the hot mug. 

"So. A period?" Clint said. Peter's whole body froze and he almost dropped the steaming mug. Tony reached out and steadied the mug before it could crash to the floor. 

"Yes. A period." Peter confirmed. 

"How?" Sam asked, Peter groaned and hugged the mug to his chest. 

"I'm female to male transgender," Peter said finally, tucking himself back into Tony's side. 

"Oh," Sam said, Peter nodded and took several more sips from the mug. 

"Why didn't you tell us?" Wanda asked. Peter shrugged and hid his face. 

"Not everyone in my life has taken my coming out well. I've lost lot's of friends, and family. And I don't want to lose you guys either. You're like my family, or maybe you are. But either way, I was scared of losing you." Peter said quietly. The room was silent for a long time, making tears gather in his eyes. 

"Pete, no matter what, you're our family. But, one thing," Steve started, Peter nodded for him to continue. 

"What does transgender mean?" He asked sheepishly, Peter blushed spectacularly and quickly explained what it meant. 

"Oh. Okay. But I don't see why that's a reason to hate you or be disgusted in you. You're still the Peter I knew. And I like you, you're you." Steve said, pairing it with a shrug. Peter looked as if he would cry, and low and behold Peter started crying. 

"Stupid hormones. Get over here and hug me you fossil." Peter demanded. Steve rolled his eyes but stood up and squeezed next to Peter on the couch. Peter hummed and cuddled in between Tony and Steve. 

"You guys are the best," Peter said, voice wobbly with tears. 

"We know. Now let's watch movies and cuddle." Tony said, wrapping his arm around Peter tightly. Peter sniffed in approval. 

"Yes. That sounds acceptable."


	47. Better Days

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An-Wanda and Pietro finally find Peter, their baby brother

"Okay, we have reports of a mutant in an abandoned warehouse. There are reports of pained screams and crying, and bursts of uncontrolled magic. We've traced him to a former prisoner of HYDRA who was experimented on. I'm calling in the Miximpff twins, Strange, Loki, Stark and Rogers. Get going, he's erratic and dangerous."

————————————————

They all shared a glance when a burst of magic ricocheted out of the warehouse. It was red and blue shimmering and cloudy. It looked almost identical to Wanda's and Loki's which worried them. The magic caused the roof to crumble and fly out around the building. The sound was followed by a blood-curdling scream from inside the building.

"He is in pain," Wanda said quietly. She took Pietro's hand and dragged him with her, walking quickly into the building. Loki followed behind cautiously. When Wanda and Pietro saw the young teenage boy in the middle of the dark and dirty warehouse their blood ran cold.

There he was, Peter, their baby brother on his knees. His fists clenched and seeping magic. His muscles clenching painfully as another burst of magic burst out of him, screaming again. He let out several groans and grunts, his chin resting on his chest.

"Peter?" Wanda said softly. Peter watched as the boy looked up in a daze, his head dipping and then snapping back up. They hadn't seen him in years, and yet he looked the same. Soft brown eyes, crazy curly hair, pale soft skin and the distinct scar of his neck from the explosion.

"Wanda? Pietro? 'M I dreamin'?" Peter said softly.

"No, no, you aren't dreaming," Pietro said, stepping forward.

"No. Stay there. Don't wanna hurt you." Peter pleaded. Pietro and Wanda shared a glance.

"Okay. Okay. We'll stay where we are. What, what happened?" Pietro asked, Peter head dipped again, another burst of magic.

"Got out. Ran away. Didn't wanna hurt anyone." Peter said softly, falling backwards into his back, sprawled out on the floor.

"You've never hurt anyone Peter. Not even if they tried to make you." Wanda said, taking a careful step forward, beckoning Loki forward.

"I hurt you." Peter said. His hands clenched again, the bursts were smaller and less damaging now.

"You didn't mean to. You can't control your powers like I can. They're erratic and that's not your fault. Don't you remember how you made it better? You made the pain go away and you stopped the blood?" Wanda said, taking two more steps forward. Peter shook his head.

"No, no, I hurt you. I hurt you. Didn't wanna hurt you." Peter pleaded.

"I know Peter, I know. You were scared, and that's not your fault. It was never your fault." Wanda insisted. Peter was silent, squeezing his eyes shut when another burst of magic came out of him. Loki and her shared eye contact for a moment before Wanda nodded.

"Peter we have a way to get your magic to stop. But you need to think happy memories. Things that you love to think about." Wanda said. Pietro and Wanda shared another glance.

"Do you remember the time when you were seven, and we went to the beach for the weekend?" Pietro prompted. Peter nodded slowly.

"And I caught the seagull." Peter said quietly. Pietro couldn't help but chuckle.

"Yeah. You caught the seagull while we were on the sand. You baited him with one of the chips." Pietro said. Loki and Wanda rose their hands, fighting his magic.

"Dumb little bird. But he was cute." Peter said, smile tugging at his lips.

"Yeah. Yeah, he was a little dumb. Didn't you name him?" Pietro asked, Peter nodded.

"Yeah. Markov Maximoff." Peter said softly. Pietro chuckled, stepping closer as the puddles of magic slowly stopped.

"Yeah. You always had a thing for alliteration." Pietro said.

"Sounds nice," Peter said quietly. Pietro nodded and dropped to his knees beside Peter.

"Yeah. Yeah, it does. Come here, Pete." Pietro said, wrapping his arms around Peter's back and pulling him into his chest. Peter hummed and fisted Pietros shirt in his hands.

"You're real." He whispered. Wanda rushed forward and dropped to her knees as well, joining the hug.

"We're real."

————————————————

"Sit here. There you go. You're okay." Wanda said gently, pushing Peter into the double couch. Peter has spent days in a cell while Fury fought to get him cleared, even though he'd never done anything wrong, never used his powers for bad or hurt anyone.

"You need anything?" Wanda asked, Peter's hook his head.

"I haven't seen you since I was eleven. Just need you to hug me, to hear your voices." Peter said. Wanda nodded and sat next to Peter, Pietro followed and sat in the seat on Peter's other side.

"So, a third Maximoff?" Clint asked. Wanda and Pietro looked up at him and narrowed their eyes.

"Is there a problem with that?" Pietro said with gritted teeth. Clint's eyes widened and he shook his head frantically.

"Well, it's just, you never talked about him and no one ever said anything." Clint said, waving a hand around.

"We were separated. Nine years ago, when they gave us our powers." Wanda said.

"Why were you separated?" Natasha asked. Peter looked up at her.

"Because my powers didn't work." He said simply. Natasha cocked an eyebrow.

"Why didn't they work?" Bucky asked, Peter shrugged.

"They were too dumb to work it out. They just kept experimenting until it worked and did it to Wanda. They did so many experiments that I couldn't use the powers without hurting myself. When my heart rate picks up I can't control the outburst. That's what happened in the warehouse." Peter said, tucking his legs under himself.

"And the outbursts are painful?" Loki asked, Peter nodded slowly.

"Yeah. They always have been." Peter said simply, Pietro hummed and wrapped his arm around Peter's shoulder.

"It was terrifying the first time he used his powers," Wanda said quietly.

"We didn't know what they were. I was really young. I was scared." Peter explained. Wanda nodded and tucked herself into Peter's side.

"I missed hugs." He said quietly. Wanda hummed and wrapped her arms around his waist.

"We used to hug like this all the time," Wanda said. Pietro hummed as well and tucked himself into Peter's other side.

"Better Days." Peter said quietly.

"Better days are now," Pietro said firmly. The team watched with soft smiles as the three stayed like that for the rest of the night, talking quietly and laughing every now and again.


	48. Dying in a prom dress

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An-Peter wants to wear a dress to prom

Peter officially hated prom. Not because he didn't have a date or because everyone wouldn't stop talking about it, but because he was expected to wear a suit. Granted, suits did look cool and Peter had worn them on several occasions, but he wanted to wear a dress. He didn't know why but he just liked wearing them. So that's why he was aimlessly walking through the dress section gloomily. His dad, Tony, was in the suit section looking at blazers and Peter walked off before Tony could even get a word in.

"If you wanted to wear a dress to prom you could have told me. It would have saved me a lot of time." Tony said from behind him. Peter basically jumped out of his skin, whipping around and his whole face and neck reddening.

"I didn't say that," Peter said nervously, Tony just waved his hand.

"Kid, if you want to wear a dress go for it. I think you'd look great, but we'd have to call your mum to help you out. I'm not good at dress shopping." Tony said, peering at the dresses on the hooks. Peter reddened further.

"Are you angry at me?" Peter asked nervously, looking away from Tony's eyes, acutely aware of the tears burning in his eyes.

"Why would I be angry?" Tony asked. Peter shrugged, hugging himself with his arms. Tony shrugged as well and walked up to Peter, hugging him tightly.

"Pete, I'm not angry. You're my son, and if you aren't my son that's okay too. I love you. Clothes don't have gender, you do. You can wear what you want and I'll love you no matter what."

———————————————

**Peter-Man**

Hey MJ?

**Badass bitch**

Hello Peter.

**Peter-Man**

How would you feel if I went to prom in a dress?

**Badass bitch**

Hot.

**Peter-Man**

???????

**Badass bitch**

Do I get to wear a suit?

**Peter-Man**

If you want

**Badass bitch**

Nice. What colour you wearing?

**Peter-Man**

Why?

**Badass bitch**

For the corsage you idiot. And I'll wear a flower in the breast pocket of my blazer.

**Peter-Man**

Oh. Well, I don't know what colour yet. My mum still has to take me dress shopping.

**Badass bitch**

Can I come with you?

**Peter-Man**

No! It has to be a surprise!

**Badass bitch**

Okay. Okay. Calm your farm. Can't wait to see you

—————————————————

"Tony? Where are you?" Steve asked. The rogues were in the lounge room waiting impatiently for Tony, who had told them he'd be here. They all rose an eyebrow when Tony came running into the room, full formal suit and nice shoes, hair done up nicely.

"Sorry. Um. I know I told you to come today, but Uh, something came up?" Tony said hesitantly.

"Something like what?" Bucky asked.

"No! Mum! My hairs fine! I don't need gel! No! Get away from me with the gel!" They heard a voice shout from the kitchen.

"Something like that?" Tony said quietly. He sighed at the confused looks on the teams' faces and waved behind him as he walked into the kitchen. He was met with Peter fighting off Pepper's hands. In his right hand, an eyeliner pencil was clutched and his left was fighting off Pepper. Pepper had a stern look on her face as she brandished her hand full of hair gel.

"I am not letting my son go to prom while his hair looks like that," Pepper said firmly. Peter groaned and dropped his hands and put the eyeliner pencil on the bench.

"My hair looks fine usually," Peter grumbled.

"Pep is right Underoos, your hairs a mess. Now sit still and let her fix it up for your little school dance." Tony said.

"You're supposed to be on my side." Peter mumbled.

"Don't you wanna look nice for your girlfriend? And your last school dance? Just sit and let your lovely mum do your hair and you can finish your eyeliner after." Tony said offhandedly. Peter made a noise and slouched. Pepper swatted him and he mumbled something before sitting up straight again.

"What the hell is going on?" Sam asked from the doorway. Peter went to turn his head sharply but Pepper turning his head back to face her.

"My son, Peter, is getting ready for senior prom." Tony explained briefly.

"But he's in a dress?" Steve said. Peppers hands dropped when Peter turned to look at them and frowned.

"So? I can wear whatever the hell I want." Peter said, crossing one leg over the other, everyone's eyes flickered down to his shoes, which just so happened to be red pumps, matching his dress.

"Yes. He can. Because I said so." Tony said firmly.

"And because he looks amazing. Where did you get those heels?" Natasha asked.

"He stole them from my closet." Pepper said, turning Peter back to her and finishing off his hair. Peter grinned and waved a hand.

"You weren't using them." Peter said in a sing song voice.

"No, I wasn't. I'm surprised we're the same size. Anyway. You're done. You look great." Pepper said. Peter shrugged and stood up steadying himself on his feet and putting his hands on his hips.

"Like a million bucks." Tony said, throwing his hands up into the air. He rushed over to Peter and hugged him tightly, only for Peter to make a noise.

"Careful. Just got all pretty." Peter said, Tony rolled his eyes. Tony nodded and sniffed, wiping his nose. Nodded and patting Peter's upper arms.

"Are you crying?" Peter asked incredulously. Tony sniffed.

"You're all grown up now." He said wetly. That's when Peter had to hold back his own tears.

"Says you." Peter said. Tony rolled his eyes.

"Don't ruin your makeup." Tony said, patting him on the shoulder. Peter nodded and sniffled.

"Who knew that the Stark men were the waterworks." Natasha teased. Tony waved a hand, instinct with Peter who carefully wiped his eyes.

"I'm sorry to interrupt sirs, but Peter's date is here," FRIDAY said. Peter's whole face lit up, Tony, Pepper and the team followed Peter as he rushed to the elevator in excitement. When the doors opened out stepped a girl in a dark grey suit. Peter rushed up to her and placed a kiss on her lips.

"MJ! You're here!" He said excitedly. The girl cocked an eyebrow.

"Why wouldn't I be?" She asked, Peter shrugged.

"Thought you'd ditch me." He said, scanning her over.

"Who knew you'd look good in a suit? And look at your bow tie! You look so pretty!" Peter exclaimed. MJ shrugged and looked him over.

"Corsage. It matches your dress." She said awkwardly, her cheeks beating up when Peter grinned.

"Holy shit! I made you blush! I didn't think I looked that good!" Peter said happily. MJ narrowed her eyes and poked at his cheek.

"You're wearing eyeliner. You look hot." MJ said bluntly. It was Peter's turn to redden and get shy.

"Keep it in your pants MJ, my parents are here." Peter said. But they could all see the massive smile on his face.

"Yes. We are." Tony said. Peter turned around and fiddled with his hands. MJ wrapped an arm around Peter's waist and tugged him into her side.

"You're finally the same height as me." She teased, Peter rolled his eyes.

"Shut up. Now pictures!" Peter said excitedly. Pepper pulled out a camera from nowhere and raised it. MJ and Peter move until they were in front of the fireplace, posing for a few pictures before Pepper and Tony joined in the photo. Clint took the camera and snapped as many photos as he could.

"Okay. Happy will drive you. You can drink, but only what you buy or someone you trust gives you the alcohol. Don't drink the punch, it's always spiked. Don't do any drugs and text us where you are. Happy will drive you back. Have fun Underoos." Tony said, Peter nodded and hugged Tony and Pepper.

"I'll have Peter back by midnight." MJ said.

"You staying the night honey?" Pepper asked.

"That would be wonderful Miss Potts, my mums, out of town again for the next week," MJ said. Pepper nodded as they left.

If they heard Peter and MJ come back up to the penthouse just before midnight giggling madly and whispering, stumbling into Peter's room then they didn't say anything.


	49. 5+1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An-five times Tony Stark accidentally ran into Peter Parker and the one time he did it on purpose

1\. 

"FRIDAY I NEED LIFE SIGNS!" Tony shouted, flying through the open window of the run-down apartment buildings. A villain's weapon had misfired and crashed into the building, causing it to burst into flames and crumble. 

"There is one life sign three apartments down from your current position, all other life signs are fading or gone. Teenage boy approximately thirteen years old." FRIDAY said, Tony nodded and carefully cut out Iron-Man-sized holes to walk through, his whole face loosing colour when he heard the boy. 

"Somebody help me! I'm in here! I'm stuck! Help me! Please!" He shouted weakly. Tony's brain just about stopped working. His left side was pinned by a support beam and Tony wasn't sure if his mind was playing tricks on him or not but he was pretty sure he could see the kids literal braint hrough his cracked open head. 

"I'm here kid. I'm here. You gotta stay still so I can get you out." Tony said frantically. He followed FRIDAY's visual instructions and lifted the pole, hoisting the boy into his arms. He almost screamed when he turned and saw two crumbled bodies in the same room. The kid was somehow shielded from the fire but also covered in blood. 

"You gotta stay awake for me kid, can you tell me your name?" Tony asked urgently. The kid was fading fast, eyelids dropping and head dipping, limp in Tony's arms. 

"Peter. My middles names Benjamin. Named after my grandpa and uncle." He slurred. Tony nodded and carefully flew out of the building, holding Peter securely in his arms. 

"Where are you going Stark?! We still have a villain to deal with!" Steve said through the coms. Tony grunted and shifted Peter so he couldn't fall asleep. 

"Villain's weapon misfired. Started a fire. Taking a kid to the hospital." Tony said, cutting off Steve's demands and shutting off his com. 

"That's really interesting kid, can you tell me more?" Tony asked, lifting his faceplate so he could look Peter in the eyes. Peter's eyes widened comically and he smiled in a daze up at Tony. 

"Woah, you're Iron Man. 'M a big fan. Can I get a photo?" Peter said, Tony nodded. 

"Sure kid, we can take as many photos as you like." Tony asked. Anything to keep the kid awake.

"You're really really smart and cool. You're my hero. Used to watch you on TV all the time as a kid. Wanna be a scientist cause of you." Peter said, grinning up at Tony who nodded. 

"That's great kiddo, what's your favourite science?" Tony asked. They were only a few blocks from the hospital and Peter was mostly awake. 

"Physics and chemistry. But my school doesn't do physics so I go to the library all the time and read the textbooks." Peter said, Tony nodded again.

"You must be really smart then. You going into high school?" Tony asked frantically, Peter nodded again. 

"Yeah, got a full-ride scholarship to Midtown school of science cause I got ninety-eight per cent on the entrance exam," Peter said. Tony hummed, he'd heard of the school, Stark Industries sponsored their science program. Real fancy selective school. 

"Wow, that's one hell of a test result," Tony said, Peter hummed and groaned when Tony set down on the ground in front of the emergency room, running in with Peter in his arms. 

"Here you go kid, you're gonna be ok," Tony reassured as he handed Peter off to the doctors and nurses. 

"How do you know that?" Peter slurred, his eyelids drooping again. 

"I'm Iron Man."

2\. 

"Tony come on, you could really boost this kids spirits." Pepper insisted, Tony bristled and buttoned his blazer. 

"Why's that? Most kids can't be in the same room as me without crying." Tony said, wincing when Pepper pinched his arm. 

"Because this one's favourite subject is about how Iron-Man saved him from a fire and saved his life, and promised to take a photo with him," Pepper said with gritted teeth, opening the door to the room and pushing Tony in. Tony paled and stepped back, ducking out of the room and pulling Pepper with him. 

"Pep, no. I can't. Not this one." Tony said breathlessly. Pepper didn't push, Tony's whole demeanour had changed. 

"What's wrong Tony? What happened?" Pepper asked frantically. Tony had placed a hand over his arc reactor, breathing heavily. 

"He's the kid. The one from three months ago." Tony explained, waving a hand frantically. Pepper's eyes widened. 

"The one from the apartment fire?" Pepper asked, Tony nodded. 

"Yeah. It's him. Oh my god, Pep he's alive. He's alive. He looks so normal. There no blood, no nothing Pep." Tony cried, Pepper nodded. 

"Yeah, and you did that. And you can do more. You can make this easier for him." Pepper said gently. Tony nodded slowly and calmed himself down, turning sharply and opening the door to the room again. They were in the children's ward, but the kid was in his own room. One of the nurses in the room was helping him into new pants, and Tony was sure that above everything else he hated that the most. At least he kid wasn't covered in blood and ash now. 

"Oh! We didn't believe that you were actually coming." One of the nurses said excitedly. Peter looked up slowly and narrowed his eyes at the nurse. She waved a hand and shut the curtain, closing Peter and the other nurse off from Tony's view. 

"Miss Potts can be very convincing. Plus, I wanted to see how he was doing." Tony said evenly, flattening the front of his blazer down. The nurse nodded and rushed forward. 

"Not so well, unfortunately. His whole left side is paralysed, he'll be in physical therapy for the rest of his life just to get back remote feeling. At best he'll be able to move his hips and shoulders. Happy as can be though under the circumstances. Incredibly smart, kind, patient. Little chatterbox. All of the nurses fight to get his watch hour. Real sport with everything, doesn't fight us off when we need to help him shower and when we need to dress him though." She said quietly, leading him away for a moment. 

"Does anyone visit him?" Tony asked quietly. The nurse shook her head slowly. 

"No, the last of his family died in the fire. The poor thing called all of his friends the next day. They all came in with cards and presents, but eventually, they stopped coming, except for one boy. Ned, he still visits every day after school with school work and helps Peter through it. Still, a fighter though makes friends with everyone who steps into his room." She said, Tony nodded slowly. 

"I feel like he made friends with me. He was practically dying in my arms and he was chattering along while we flew." Tony said softly. The nurse narrowed her eyes at him for a moment before nodding. They both turned when the curtain opened again, revealing Peter on the top of the hospital bed, left arm and leg in splints. Tony covered his wince spectacularly. 

"Peter's dressed now, even though he wouldn't stop making jokes." The male nurse said, Peter gave him a thumbs up from his place on the bed. 

"Never the wrong time to crack a joke," Peter said. It registered in Tony's mind that his voice sounded different, deeper. Then he realised that Peter was a thirteen-year-old going through puberty. That's when he realised just how young this kid was, and he'd already lost his entire family. 

"Woah, when they said you were coming I thought they were joking!" Peter exclaimed, his right-hand scrambling for a hold on the blankets, attempting to put himself up on the bed. The nurse handed him the bed remote. After a few moments, the bed was upright and Peter flashed a dazzling smile. 

"I believe you owe me a photo." Peter teased. Tony couldn't help but grin, he liked this kid. 

"That I do. You got a phone?" Tony asked, walking slowly up to the side of the bed. Peter nodded and pulled it out from under the covers. At the back of Tony's mind, he vaguely added getting Peter the newest model of the stark phone to his to-do list. 

"Yep, one of the only things they could save from the fire," Peter said offhandedly, tapping on the phone for a moment before raising it. Tony's mouth dropped open for a moment, the kid was aware of what had happened and just dropped a time bomb like it was nothing. Tony brushed it off and stood next to the bed. 

"Make sure you get my good side." Tony teased, Peter rolled his eyes. 

"Buddy, you're Tony freaking Stark, you don't have a bad side. I however do." Peter said, turning his head and exposing the scar wrapping around from the back of the crown of his head and running along the side of his head and reaching his eyebrow. It was the left side, which Tony miraculously hadn't seen. 

"Don't get confident kid, still Tony Stark." Tony teased, although he didn't mean it. This kid had the biggest place in his cold dead heart to date. Peter scoffed and rolled his eyes. After snapping a few photos he swiped through them and started talking. 

"I honestly can't believe you're actually here. I'm just some kid from queens." Peter said quietly, Tony smiled softly, sitting on the edge of the bed next to Peter. 

"Nah, you're much more than that," Tony said softly. He wasn't even sure if the kid had heard him, but honestly, that didn't really matter. He found himself enjoying Peter's mindless questions and chatter. About JARVIS, about the iron man suit, about the arc reactor, about everything under the sun that Tony could possibly understand. 

Tony also thought about how much this kid would love meeting the Avengers, given how much he asked about them. Yeah, he'd get someone to send him the photos. It would be a good addition to the other photos on the mantle at the tower in the common rooms.

3\. 

Pepper was lucky Tony loved her or else he'd throw away the entirety of Stark Industries because he hated arriving at sponsorship programs so much. He knew it was a mistake to sponsor a high schools science program because now he was stuck walking around a school auditorium looking at crappy science projects. They were all the same things, volcanos, randoms variables, masses of test tubes. 

He did frown however when he saw one completely deserted booth with a boy he oddly recognised sitting sadly at it like he was fighting off tears. Tony's breath clamped up in his throat when he realised, yes, he did recognise the boy in the booth, Peter Parker, who'd he'd saved from an apartment fire and visited in the hospital and talked with for five hours. That had been an interesting conversation with Pepper about why he cared so much. 

And there he was with one arm strapped to a crutch, and the leg on the same side in what Tony could only call a brace. He had his chin in his hand, which was propped up on his elbow on the table. His booth was immaculate, organised and factual, and he was staring down at his project, a literal robotic dog. And if Tony strained his ears he could hear the dog letting out realistic noises and moving like a real dog would. 

Bucky and Natasha had come with him, Natasha because she insisted he was dumb for not going with a bodyguard and Bucky because he totally didn't want to look at what kids were doing in science now. 

"Isn't that the kid you had us visit in the hospital?" Natasha asked. 

"Indeed it is," Tony said quietly. Peter sighed and leant into his chair, looking up at the ceiling and rubbing his closed eyes with his closed knuckle. 

"Let's go look at what he made," Bucky said excitedly. Tony and Natasha followed. Peter didn't even look up, probably because he was too busy wiping away his tears hurriedly. None of them said anything about them as the stood in front of his booth. 

"I think the point of these booths is so that you explain your project." Tony teased. Peter's head snapped up and he just about fell out of his seat in fright. After a few moments, Peter was back in his seat and staring up at the three in awe. 

"I, uh, well, basically." Peter sturttered out. 

"We need to stop meeting like this. Why are you so surprised to see me?" Tony asked teasingly. Peter shrugged awkwardly and picked up his other crutch and stood up on wobbly feet. 

"Well, you see, not many people are interested in what I have to say because apparently I talk too much. And also apparently my project was too advanced but I have too much time on my hands so, what else was I gonna do?" Peter asked awkwardly. Tony shrugged and cocked his head. The stitches on Peter's head were gone now, just a massive scar. 

"Hmm, I agree. Anyway, tell us about your project." Tony demanded. Tony watched with a soft smile as Peter rapidly explained his project, Bucky listening with rapt attention. After a while Tony and Natasha moved on, Bucky lagging behind to keep talking with Peter about modern science. Such a great body guard. 

"Our judges will now deliberate!" Cam Mr Morita's loud voice after a while. Tony glanced at Peter, who's movable leg was swinging under his desk and he looked like he was the happiest person on Earth. He was about to get a little happier though. 

"After a very short time, it was very easy to decide on the winner, who I have accidentally run into three times now." Tony paused for a moment for dramatic effect, making eye contact with Peter who was listening with rapt attention. 

"Peter Parker, no surprise really," Tony said. Natasha, Bucky and he watched as Peter's mouth dropped open and he froze for a moment before jumping up so fast form his seat that he almost fell right onto the table in front of him. They stayed watching him as the crowd made a path for him, and cringed when he got to the stairs. 

"How about we come to you, Peter." Mr Morita offered. Peter's face hardened in what the three could only describe as pure anger and venom.

"No thank you, Mr Morita, I can go up the stairs just like any other person." Peter saif firmly. And he was right, albeit slowly and with his face screwed up. Bucky clapped him on the shoulder, and Tony was pretty sure Peter was going to burst from pent up excitement. 

"Good job kiddo, you did well. Might even put a good word in for you at the tower."

4\. 

"Thank you, Miss Potts, I really appreciate this opportunity." Said a voice from the doorway. Tony only looked up because he recognised the voice. He couldn't fight the grin that quickly made its way onto his face. There Peter was in all of his glory, smiling sheepishly at Pepper who held the door open for him. It had been a year since the first time Tony met Peter in the building, three months after that he met him in the hospital and three months after that he met him at the science fair. It felt like they were destined to awkwardly meet constantly. 

"We meet again Mr Parker." Tony drawled. Pepper rolled her eyes at Tony's antics. 

"Don't let him scare you, Peter." She said, closing the door behind Peter who grinned at Tony. 

"Indeed we do Dr Stark." Peter said. Tony's eyes buldged out of his head. Not in his very long life had someone ever adressed his by his doctorate degree title. 

"You're hired." He blurted, closing Peter's file (Which he hadn't even read at all, not like he needed to though), and stood up. He opened the door back up and held it open for Peter who walked out of it in confusion. 

"Sorry what?" Peter asked, blushing madly. 

"You're hired. Infact, I'm making you my personal intern." Tony rushed out, ignoring the exasperated look Pepper threw his way. 

"Sorry what? Are you even allowed to do that?" Peter said, earning an approving look form Pepper who was following behind them. 

"Yes. Now get in the elevator."

5\. 

Tony sighed when the door to the meeting room slowly opened, and then revealed Peter standing there with a folder of forms and files between his teeth, cursing as his cane got stuck on the door handle. It was not two years since the day they met, and boy had Peter changed. 

He wasn't a scrawny little kid anymore, he was strong and muscled, and he'd swapped his glasses for contacts a long time ago with his first paycheck form Tony. His hair was long and shaggy, hanging past his jaw. The scar was still prominent, but as Peter's hair wasn't awkwardly buzzed it was well hidden. Tony had almost cried when Peter got his nose peirced, followed by several ear peircings. Peter was the same as ever canes strapped to his arms and brace on his left leg. 

"You're getting teeth marks on my nice manila folder," Tony whined. Peter looked up at him and rolled his eyes, walking over to him and spitting the folder into his lap.

"FRIDAY said you wanted the data calculated as soon as possible and in your lap." Peter sod, shrugging as he leaned to crack his back, wincing. 

"Bad day?" Tony asked. He'd been stuck in this meeting with the avengers for the whole day and had been sending a steady stream of work to Peter. 

"Yeah, been having pain flare up for a couple of days now that it's change of seasons. I cried in physical therapy yesterday cause I saw the bike. Not fun." Peter said, waving his right hand around in the air and leaning on Tony's chair. 

"Could've told me, would've sent you home." Tony muttered, opening the folder and spreading out the papers across the desk. 

"Definitely not, if I go home I am coddled more then you coddle me," Peter grumbled. Tony waved a hand and looked over the files, cocking an eyebrow. 

"You already finished the work I sent down half an hour ago," Tony said, Peter girnned at him sheepishly. 

"Well, I was wondering if I could go home early." Peter mused, Tony narrowed his eyes. 

"Does Peter Parker have a date?" He teased, Peter just scoffed and rolled his eyes. 

"He wishes, he has to help the other kids a the orphanage with their science fair projects and clean his room so he's not grounded." Peter said, Tony cocked an eyebrow. 

"Did you just adress yourself in the third person?" He mused. Peter shrugged. 

"Learnt it from you." Peter said simply, Tony nodded. 

"Touche. Wait, did you say the orphanage?" Tony asked, Peter narrowed his eyes and nodded. 

"Yeah? I live there. Don't tell me you didn't know that." Peter said, groaning when Tony shrugged. 

"I've known you for two years and you have never once opened my file? Tony Stark you are unbelievable." Peter said, leaning down to hold his forhead in his right hand. 

"That's where I know you from! You're that kid we visited in the hospital a year and a bit back because Tony put in a formal request! Our pictures in the common room!" Clint exclaimed, Peter reddened immediatly at the attention. 

"The nurses said it was an anonymous request. Oh my god, you're the one that put in the request?" Peter asked softly, Tony nodded sheepishly. He was very much not expecting it when Peter flew into his arms and hugged him tightly. 

"Why are we hugging?" Tony asked, Petet shushed him. 

"Because that visit was the only thing that kept me alive for a very very long time, and the framed photo was the first possession I owned since the fire you pulled me out of. And because it felt nice for someone to care about me, even if it was anonymously." Peter said, sniffling into Tony's shoulder. Tony nodded slowly and glanced a the team over Peter's shoulder. 

"What can I say, you were very convincing." Tony said, Peter sniffled again. 

"No, I was just a kid in hosptial bed who couldn't walk and couldn't move his face without pulling stitches." Peter said, Tony shook his head. 

"Nah, you were and are the greatest teenager in the world. If every teenager were like you I would have three thousand." Tony said, Peter nodded and sniffled again. 

"I can't stand up." Peter said after a moment. Tony nodded and helped him up so he was standing. Peter wiped his face hurriedly and smiled sheepishly. 

"Yes. I am that kid." Peter confirmed. Clint nodded and leant back into his seat. 

"And you're the kid form the science fair!" Bucky exclaimed, leaning forward onto the table. Peter's eyes bulged for a moment before he grinned like a mad man. 

"I can't beleive you remember that! That day is literally the best day in my entire life." Peter said inawe, BUcky nodded. 

"Yeah! With the robot dog! You won first place didn't you?" Bucky asked, Peter nodded happily. 

"Yeah! I still have the medal and certificate hanging up on my wall!" Peter said excitedly. 

"You know those things are just gimmicks right?" Steve cut in. Peter looked like he would slit Steve's throat if he said another word. 

"Maybe to you, but to me, it's not, because it was the one thing given to me because I worked for it, and not because someone wanted brownie points, or because they thought I deserved pity. So I am terribly sorry if it means a lot to me." Peter snarled, Steve blinked and visibly recoiled into his seat, looking at fear in pure fear. 

"For a robot that dog was cute." Natasha said, Peter turned to her and smiled wide. 

"Thanks! It took me ages to make." Peter continued to talk with the team about Tony, about how they met and about how they continued to meet and about how they worked together. And when Tony looked up at Peter he realised something, that Peter was more than just a kid from Queens with a fast mind and a sly smirk, he was his son. 

He also decided then and there that he was ready to be a father. 

+1.

"I'm here to put in the paperwork for fostering a child," Tony said, handing over a stack of papers to the career, who took them with a raised eyebrow.

"Of course Mister Stark. Right this way, Peter's just doing his homework. You can tell him the good news yourself." She said, waving for him to follow her. Every single kid in the home stared after him open-mouthed, he just offered them soft smiles and small waves of his hand.

When they walked into Peter's room Tony smiled softly, it was covered in retro computers, gaming consoles and old prices of tech. Definitely a dumpster diver. Peter was at his desk writing something with earbuds in and Tony was pretty sure he could hear the music from the other side of the room. The caretaker rolled her eyes fondly and marched up to him, plucking one of the earbuds out.

"Peter, there's someone here who's been approved to foster you." She said, Peter's eyes bludged out of his head.

"No way! No one ever gets approved!" Peter said excitedly, dropping his pencil and taking out the other earphone.

"Well, they have a high enough income to support you and your sessions. We'll miss you, Peter." She said, Peter lunged and pulled her into a one-armed hug.

"I'll miss you too. But don't get hopeful, my luck I'll be sent back." Peter said. Tony decided he needed to say something.

"Nah, I plan on keeping you kid. Maybe wrapping you in a thousand blankets and forcing you to watch Disney movies with me." Tony said, walking slowly I to the room. Peter pulled back from the caretaker, his mouth falling open and his eyes widening comically.

"Tony! What are you doing here?!" Peter shouted. Tony thanked god that they'd gotten past the Mr Stark thing.

"I'm your new foster parent," Tony said with a shrug. Peter's whole face just radiated confusion and shock.

"Sorry?" He said breathlessly.

"I'll leave you two. I'll get some bags ready for your things." The caretaker said, Tony stopped her.

"Don't worry Ma'am I've got some suitcases and boxes out together for him. I'll get my bodyguard to bring them up for him." Tony said. The caretaker nodded and left the room swiftly.

"But, why? Why would you want me?" Peter asked softly once she'd left. Tony froze for a moment and sighed, sitting on the edge of Peter's bed. He cringed for a moment and made a note to make peter sleep on a real mattress.

"Because from the moment I met you, you were perfect. Excitable, gentle, patient, a fast mind and a smart mouth. I realised something, that every time I accidentally ran into you I lived for those moments. And I kept thinking about what happens when you find a better job? Or when you graduate? Or when you turn eighteen? And I realised that I don't just think of you like some kid from queens who I pulled out of a burning building, I see Peter Parker who no matter what is so happy and strong. I see a boy who I think of as a son." Tony said. He watched a few tears gathered in Peter's eyes and splattered on the floor as he shakily stood up from his seat and walked over to Tony, sitting next to him heavily.

"You know there's no better job than Tony Stark's intern." He said quietly. Tony couldn't help but grin. He was about to say something when Peter reaches out and linked arms with him, sniffling quietly.

"I love you. And for a long time, I was scared of that, because everyone's I've ever loved goes away, but you haven't gone away. And I think I'm ready to let myself love you. I realised pretty early on that I didn't just think of you as my boss or my mentor, but also my dad." Peter said, Tony nodded and sniffled to stop his own tears.

"I'm glad, cause I love you too." Tony said softly. Peter sniffled and nodded.

"I'm just warning you that I'm a handful. I still can't dress, and I need help from someone in my physical therapy sessions." Peter said, reddening. Tony shrugged.

"Well, we can try and make a bit to help you get dressed on your own, and I'm happy to help you with anything that you'll ever need. Even if that means breaking out the swiping trunks." Tony said, Peter sniffled and nodded, falling into Tony's side.

"Does this mean I get to call you dad?" He asked quietly. Tony chuckled for a moment in response.

"Yes, this means you get to call me dad," Tony confirmed.

"Good, cause I've almost slipped up so many times."


	50. Shifter pt2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An-Cat shifter part two where he meets T'challa, Shuri, the guardians and carol and goose

"So we heard there was a new recruit to the team?" Shuri asked hopefully. Tony grinned and nodded, turning his head slightly.

"Peter? Can you come here for a couple of minutes?" Tony shouted. They were met with the sound of someone falling off of the couch in the next room, grunts and mutters, and then silence. Tony sighed and put his hands on his hips.

"Peter? Are you coming?" Tony asked. He looked down when he felt one of Peter's tiny paws on his shin. Peter meowed up at him and reached further up Tony's shin. Tony grinned and picked Peter up off the ground by his underarms and kissed his forehead. Peter meowed again happily.

"You have a mascot now?" T'challa asked in amusement. Tony shook his head and turned Peter around to his stomach was facing T'challa and Shuri.

"He's a shifter?" Shuri asked, Tony nodded and raised Peter up higher. Peter meowed for show and slowly shifted back, landing on the floor with a wide smile. Tony dropped his hand and stepped so he was beside Peter.

"Peter Parker, Spiderman. I'm the human embodiment of a house cat." Peter said, waving his hands a little. Shuri grinned and narrowed her eyes at him.

"Do you purr?" She asked, Peter shrugged.

"Yep. Human form and shifted form." Peter said unimpressed.

"Oh, this is wonderful," Shuri said excitedly. Peter cocked his head and narrowed his eyes.

"Why's that? Are you guys shifters?" Peter asked curiously.

"I am, but she is not," T'challa said with gritted teeth. Peter's eyes lit up.

"That's amazing! It's so weird cause I'm one of the only shifters in my whole school and like everyone in the Avengers are shifters. It's so weird!" Peter said excitedly, throwing his hands around a little. T'challa grinned and slowly shifted. Peter's eyes widened in excitement. He shifted in and out of his cat form in his excitement, not sure which form to pick. Shuri watched with a cocked eyebrow.

"What is happening?" Shuri asked, narrowing her eyes at Peter who was still repeatedly shifting in and out of his cat form.

"He does this when he's extremely excited. Overload basically. He shifts eventually." Tony said, waving a hand as Peter slowly permanently shifted into his cat form. T'challa towered over Peter who sat nervously informs of him. Peter meowed after a few moments before weaving between T'challa's legs. A massive black panther compared to a still-growing house cat was kind of adorable. Peter meowed loudly again before standing in front T'challa, before flopping onto his side and looking up at T'challa.

"He wants a pet," Tony said with a fond smile. Peter meowed pointedly and rolled onto his back and meowed. Panther T'challa sat heavily on the floor and lowered his head to nuzzle into Peter's stomach, making him meow appreciatively.

"You're filming this right?" Shuri asked. She grinned at T'challa and Peter play fighting on the floor. T'challa sat firmly on the floor and Peter under him, his front legs waving in T'challa's face as T'challa snapped his jaw at him.

"Oh FRIDAY records everything Peter does and adds it to the Spider baby blackmail file."

——————————————————

"And this is The lounge room, and our youngest Avenger," Tony said, gesturing to Peter who was currently brushing his hair in the lounge room. It had grown out to just past his shoulders, and Peter had a habit of brushing it whenever he needed to do something with his s hands. Peter's head whipped around to look at the guardians standing the doorway. He got up on his knees on the couch and draped his stomach over the back of the couch. He tired his hair up into a bun at the top of his head as he went.

"I'm Peter. Spiderman." Peter said lazily, waving the brush around in the air.

"Woah! We're name buddies! My names Peter too!" Quill said excitedly. Peter's eyes widened.

"That's so cool! My initials also are PP. Which is glorious. What are your initials?" Peter asked, stretching further over the couch and holding his leg in an awkward angle that no other person would be able to.

"PQ, which sounds kinda cool," Quill said, Peter nodded frantically.

"Sounds sick dude. So, wait, you guys are aliens right?" Peter asked.

"Indeed we are," Gamora said. Peter nodded frantically.

"Nice! Is Earth weird? Have you guys ever seen shifters before?" Peter asked, dropping his brush and propping himself up on his elbows.

"What's a shifter?" Rocket asked, Peter reddened spectacularly and sunk into the couch.

"Nevermind. It doesn't matter." Peter said hurriedly, pushing his hair out of his face quickly.

"No, you asked. Please explain." Dead demanded. Peter blushed darkly.

"Well, a shifter is a type of human who can 'shift' into an animal. Shifters are typically very rare but have been growing in numbers. If you're a shifter you have a set animal form and you gain attributes from that animal. If you're a dog you're energetic and excitable, if you're a cat you groom a lot." Peter explained, they all nodded.

"So are shifters illegal still?" Quill asked hesitantly. Peter shook his head.

"Nope! We still have a lot of traditionals though who was to keep their canine children with other canine shifters and things like that but those prejudices are going away slowly. All of the Avengers are shifters which is really really cool." Peter said excitedly.

"Are you a shifter?" Mantis asked, Peter blushed darkly and nodded slowly.

"Indeed. Usually, shifters are glamorous animals like tigers, wolves, horses. But well, I'm a house cat. But that makes sense because none of my biological family are shifters but me." Peter explained, waving the brush around again and tucking his hair back. He was blushing madly, he'd always been embarrassed by his shifter form, no one else he knew like, ever was a house cat. He closed his eyes and huffed when the room stayed silent.

"Well, that's great because when I was little and lived on earth being a shifter was illegal. So I had to hide this." Quill said quietly, slowly shifting into his house cat form, tortoiseshell pattern. Peter immediately leapt over the back of the couch and shifted mid-air and skidded slightly on the floor.

"Did you know about this?" Tony asked quietly, watching as both Peter's suddenly started wrestling on the floor, rolling around and meowing at each other.

"No. We did not." Gamora said quietly, watching the two as well.

"Is there more we need to know about shifters?" Mantis asked, Tony nodded.

"Yes. If they don't shift often enough they get anxious or angry and can feel pain, and more of their shifter animal attributes show through. Peter, my Peter has a habit of seeking out physical affection when he's in human form when he gets home from school. Small things like that." Tony said.

"I am Groot," Groot said.

"He says that explains a lot." Rocket explained. Tony nodded.

"If you guys don't know then that probably means he doesn't shift often. He'll probably stay in his shifted form for a few hours or maybe a few days." Tony said. They all nodded and watched the two Peter's wrestle for a few more minutes before Quill jumped off of him and ran in messy circles around the room, jumped on the coffee table and the couches, slamming into the walls a couple of times. Peter followed after him close behind, catching him after a few loops and bringing him to the floor. Quill meowed a few times, Peter did as well. They both shifted back at the same time, laying on their backs next to each other, their chests heaving.

"I didn't even know I could talk to other cat shifters until now," Peter said. Quill nodded.

"Neither did I. Although I can't remember the last time I shifted," Quill said.

"Yo man, have you ever seen a cat toy?" Peter asked suddenly, propping himself up on his elbows. Tony grinned at the two, every member of the team had designated toy boxes. Bucky and Steve have dozens of dog toys they could use together or with another person, or bird toys for Clint and Sam. And namely Peter small box filled with bells, hollow balls with rattles or toys on sticks the team could use to play with Peter.

"No?" Quill said hesitantly. Peter nodded and sat up and looked at Tony. Tony rolled his eyes and pulled out Peter's most used toy, a small fake mouse on a long string on a stick. For the next three hours, they took turns holding the toy for Quill and Peter. After that, the two were too tired to shift back.

"Too tired?" Tony asked Peter who meowed and slowly walked up to him, jumping up onto the couch and into Tony's lap. Tony rolled his eyes and started petting Peter's head, making him start purring loudly.

"Can he do that?" Gamora asked, pointing to Quill who was sprawled out in the floor slowly falling asleep.

"Yep," Tony said, almost cooing as Peter got more comfortable in his lap, falling asleep slowly. Gamora nodded and knelt down to pick Quill up. Quill meowed loudly in protest, trying to squirm out of Gamora's grip but failing. She sat back down and put him in her lap and started petting him. He trilled and curled up in her lap, purring loudly after a few moments. Quills tail flicked at the end, thumping against the couch every few moments.

"I like this Quill better," Drax commented, reaching to pet Quill as well. Quill meowed in offence but let them pet him anyway. When Natasha walked into the room she frowned.

"Aw man, I wanted kitty Peter cuddles tonight. You always get to him first." Natasha said, sitting down next to Tony and reaching to pet Peter.

"Shh, they're sleeping."

————————————————

"So you're Peter Parker? The one Fury said Goose let's pet him?" The woman said. Peter was half asleep and a hairs width from purring when the woman came running into the room. Peter had been sprawled out on one of the massive couches and slowly sat up and blinked at her tiredly.

"Who's Goose?" He asked tiredly. The woman straightened her back.

"Orange car, usually really aggressive, Fury looks after him." She said, Peter nodded slowly.

"Oh yeah, him, I ran into him while I was shifted and we hung out for ages so even when I'm not in my shifter form he lets me pet him and pick him up," Peter said. The woman's eyes widened and Peter suddenly realised who she was.

"You're Captain Marvel! You're like literally so cool! Mr Fury talks about you all the time!" Peter said, bolting off of the couch and tugging his shirt over his stomach.

"Oh yeah, that's me. Am I a big deal here?" She asked, Peter nodded frantically.

"Yeah! You're the one that gave Fury the idea for creating the Avengers! And now I'm an Avenger! You're like literally so cool, I watched a bunch of old tapes from SHIELD of you and your powers." Peter exclaimed, holding his hands in front of his chest, kneading it with his closed fists.

"Wow. Okay." Carol said. Peter grinned at her, about to say something when Goose came trotting into the room behind her. Peter's smile widened as he sat on the floor heavily and spread his legs for Goose to sit between them. Goose immediately trotted over and sat, staring up at Peter as he started to scratch his head, making quiet cooing noises.

"This is weird, he usually doesn't like people." She said, sitting in front of Peter and Goose and patting his back. Peter cocked his head and stared down at Goose.

"That might be because of this," Peter said, shifting slowly until he was on his small cat form, dark shade brown, almost black. He meowed and stood up, ducking his head and nuzzling into Gooses side. He planted himself next to Goose and meowed at him. Goose let out a small meow and lay down with Peter, cuddling with him. Carol watched with an open mouth, morphing slowly into a grin. He slowly pulled out her phone and made eye contact with Goose as she snapped a photo with a click.

"I'm never letting you forget this."


	51. Swim suits

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An-Penny Parker who won't show her body, and when the team invite her on a vacation they find out why
> 
> TW-Mentions of abuse, description of abuse and blood

Penny and MJ stumbled into the common room, giggling madly and clutching each other. Penny was tucked into MJ's side under her arm, blushing madly.

"Did, did you see his face? When I said we're lesbians? The look in his eyes man." Penny giggled, pulling MJ into one of the free couches on top of her and giggling louder.

"What are you girls up to?" Tony asked from the doorway. MJ clambered off of Penny and sat next to her, cuddling her close. Penny played with the ends of her sweater sleeves and pulled her knees up to her chest. She glanced between Tony and MJ and snorted.

"Stop staring each other down. I love you both equally just in very very different ways." Penny said firmly, MJ rolled her eyes and pulled Peter closer to her.

"Anyway," Tony said, clucking his tongue loudly.

"The team and I are going on a vacation to Miami to my townhouse. I wanted to invite you as our newest member to the Avengers, and your little girlfriend." Tony said, Penny froze for a moment.

"Where in Miami?" Penny asked cautiously.

"My mansion on the beach. Where else?" Tony asked suspiciously.

"I won't be going, I have a journalist convention." MJ said, Penny glanced at her for a moment.

"I'm not really a beach person," Penny said quietly. Tony waved a hand.

"Sure. Just sleep on it for a while Pens." Tony said, leaving the room swiftly. Penny turned to MJ and shook her head.

"MJ I can't. They don't, they don't know about it." Penny said frantically. MJ took her hands in her own and shook her own head.

"Penelope Parker. You listen to me. You are strong, and kind, and so good to the world. They'll understand when you tell them when you're ready."

—————————————————

"Hey Pepper, can I talk to you for a moment?" Penny asked awkwardly, pulling the ends of the sweater sleeves over her hands. Pepper nodded and got up from her seat at the kitchen island with some of the team.

"Sure honey, what's up?" Pepper asked, they walked a few feet away from the team.

"I thought I packed my swimsuit but I must have forgotten and I was wondering if you could come with me to town to get a new pair?" Penny asked awkwardly, refusing to make eye contact with Pepper.

"Oh I'd love to! We can make a day of it, invite all of the other girls. It'll be great honey."

————————————————

"Oh, this one. This one will look great." Natasha said, holding up a red bikini top to Penny. Penny shook her head.

"Are you sure we can't find anything that shows less skin?" Penny asked quietly.

"Nonsense Penny, you have an amazing body and I'm not going to let you waste it. We'll pull out a couple of options and you can try them all on." Pepper said. Pretty soon Penny had at least ten swimsuits piled in her arms.

"Okay. Take your phone, take some photos and pull the ones you like and we can get them." Wanda said, nodding encouragingly. Penny nodded and walked slowly to the changing rooms. She pulled off her jumper shakily and put it to the side. She could already see the scars peeking out of her short sleeves and sighed. She raised her hands shakily and pulled off her shirt and narrowed her eyes.

She traced the scars with the tips of her fingers, the blotchy and rough scars cross-crossing and covering his entire torso. She sighed again and pulled down her jeans and winced. Mid-thigh down her skin was clear and smooth, but up her thighs were more scars crossing around. She closed her eyes for a moment and took a deep breath, quickly changing into the first swimsuit and taking a photo, she repeated the process and took a very deep breath before sending them all to MJ in one message. She squeeked when it buzzed her hand and peeled at the message.

**MJ**

Sending me sexy pictures in the change room? How classy of you sweetheart.

Penny rolled her eyes and grinned, quickly typing a reply.

**Penny**

Not sexy at all. I need your help picking new swimsuits, forgot my ones at home.

**MJ**

Sure, sure. The Black pair, the blue pair, the red pair and the rainbow one make you look *chefs kiss*

Penny snickered at the message and grinned wider. She glanced at the suits before smiling wider.

**Penny**

How do you always manage to make me feel pretty?

**MJ**

Cause you are. Always were and always will be. Now go, you're supposed to be having fun.

**Penny**

Love you M. Talk later <3

Penny smiled fondly and picked up the four MJ had suggested and left the change room after changing back into her clothes, pulling up her sleeves. That was the most skin she'd ever shown around the team.

"Got some picks?" Wanda asked, Penny smiled wide and nodded.

"Yep. Sent some pictures to MJ and she told me which ones she thought looked good." Penny said, blushing darkly.

"Oh? Getting saucy with the girlfriend?" Natasha teased. Penny reddened further and shook her head.

"No! No, I just wasn't sure which ones to pick." Penny excused. Natasha rolled her eyes.

"Was just joking Pen. Bet you look great in them. Ooh, you picked the red one." Natasha said, picking up the suit. Penny nodded.

"We all know how much I love red."

——————————————————

Penny shifted on her feet in the mirror. She was glad everyone had been given their own rooms because at this moment she was staring at herself in the mirror in a rainbow bikini tracing the scars on her stomach again. She huffed and picked up her phone, striking a pose a snapping a photo and sending it to MJ, who was immediately already typing.

**MJ**

You're hot as fuck. And I love you.

Penny reddened immediately, the blush covering her entire face and down her neck and chest. She grinned to herself and giggled a little, MJ always managed to do that to her.

**Penny**

No, you! Love you too M. Talk later, I'm gonna brave the team.

She put her phone down and slowly opened her door and held her head high as she descended the stairs. Everyone had already gone outside and played around in the pool, Penny had stayed behind and stressed about her scars and the team seeing more of her skin then they'd ever seen. Her hand froze just before it touched the door handle. She took another deep breath before grasping the handle and threw open the door, holding her head high and walking out of the door and stopping just beside the pool.

"You look amazing! The rainbow one looks so good on you." Natasha said, rushing up to her and looking her over.

"Thank you. I almost picked the red one but I decided this was more fitting." Penny said. Natasha nodded sagely.

"With how much you've been talking to MJ that's not surprising." Natasha said. Penny reddened again and sputtered.

"You're the one that's been stealing my phone. Ew, you looked at my messages with my girlfriend." Penny said, sticking her tongue out and making a face.

"I didn't read too deep. Don't worry. Your texts are safe." Natasha consoled, Penny rolled her eyes.

"I don't have anything to hide." She said. She went to put her hands on her hips but immediately dropped her hands when she felt the scars on her hips.

"Get in the water! You're late!" Wanda shouted. Penny rolled her eyes and descended into the water, stepping carefully down the steps.

"I can't remember the late time I was in a pool." Penny said quietly, wading over to Wanda who had reserved her a floating bed. Penny grinned at her and got up on the bed, humming in content. She forgot what it felt like to have the sun on her skin.

"You have nice legs." Pepper said, Penny looked up at her and blushed madly.

"Sorry?" Penny asked.

"You have nice legs. Don't know why you hide them away." Pepper said, Penny's blushed deepened and travels down her neck again.

"Thanks I guess?" Penny said. She was being complimented by possibly the most beautiful woman in the world.

"Aw, your blush goes down your neck. That's adorable." Sam teased, Penny stuck her bottom lip out in a pout.

"This is workplace bullying," Penny said, crossing her arms over her stomach.

"Is not." Steve teased. Penny huffed and rolled onto her side and propping her head up on her elbow, wading on the float with her right foot.

"Is too." She said in a sing-song voice.

"Aren't you like twenty-three now? You act like a twelve-year-old." Clint muttered, Penny shrugged.

"Twenty four. And I do not. You're worse then me sometimes." Penny said.

"Am not. I'm the one with kids here." Clint said.

"How do you know I don't have kids?" Penny teased.

"Sorry kid but that impossible with your little girl. You need a boy for that." Tony said, Penny rolled her eyes.

"Straight people are wack. Boys are gross." Penny said.

"Okay, and whys that?" Bucky asked. Penny froze for a moment, and shrugged, trying to get the attention back off of herself.

"Is that where you got the scars from?" Natasha asked suddenly. Penny looked at her in a panic as she continued

"From a boy? The way you said that." Bucky asked. Penny nodded slowly.

"You wanna talk about it?" Tony asked, Penny shrugged again.

"We were nineteen. I ignored the red flags." Penny said simply.

"But there's more to the story?" Wanda asked, Penny nodded slowly.

"We met at a university tour. We were both going into physics and we got talking. This was before I was out and before I even really understood my sexuality. And by the time I did, we were in a relationship. And I tried to tell him that I wasn't attracted to him and that I never was." Penny paused and lay back on the floaty.

"He didn't like that. He told me if I broke up with him he'd hurt my friends. And at first, it was just grabbing my wrists or my thighs, and then it was slapping me and hitting me. Then it was dropping boiling water on me, then it was hot pans, then it was cutting me with things." Penny said quietly, swinging her leg slowly.

"I only got out of it because MJ caught me bleeding out in the bathroom trying to clean it up. She brought me to the hospital and then they asked me how I got the injuries and the scars and I told them. And then he got arrested. And convicted. And I came out, and I started dating MJ. And I'm okay now. Or more okay then I used to be." Penny said firmly. Placing her hands in the water and sighing softly at the quietness of the team.

"We thought you were just shy," Steve said quietly. Penny nodded.

"I am. But not that shy. I don't think I'm unattractive. I actually really like the way I look. And MJ is really great. She doesn't pressure me to take off my shirt or anything, or pressure me to do anything." Penny said, a fond smile growing on her face.

"You are so smitten for her." Tony teased, Penny propped herself up on her elbow again to look at her.

"I am shameless for my love for my very wonderful and attractive girlfriend," Penny said. Tony rolled his eyes and splashed Penny in response, causing her to spit the water at him.

"You are so on."


	52. Stasis

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An-When Bucky Steve and Natasha go back to a HYDRA base they find Peter in a stasis pod
> 
> TW-mentions of torture, death, blood

The HYDRA base was strangely quiet as Steve, Natasha and Bucky walked carefully through the halls, ducking into rooms looking for files and computer logs. Bucky clamped up when they entered the stasis section. Most of the pods were flung open, smashed, only a few select left in damaged.

"You don't think they'll have people in them do you?" Natasha asked hesitantly, stepping into the took slowly. Bucky shrugged, not sure what to say.

"Not unless a prisoner or experiment was useless to them. But HYDRA doesn't have a habit of not finding a use for someone." Bucky said quietly, weaving through the pods with misty eyes as the two followed him.

"Buck, look," Steve whispered, pointing to one of the only pods still connected to power. Bucky turned slowly to the pod, his breath catching in his throat. The pod was humming slightly, misting and covered in a sheen of frost. Bucky stumbled forward and placed his hand on the window, slowly wiping away the frost, his eyes widening and his mouth falling open.

"There's a kid in there," Bucky whispered.

"A kid?" Natasha asked. Bucky nodded and stepped to the side for the other two to look in the window at a teenage boy frozen in place, hands raised, clawing at the glass, his mouth open in a silent scream and face twisted in terror. Bucky places his hand on the glass again, for a moment his mind was filled with his own memories of being locked in these very same pods.

"How do we get him out?" Steve asked. Bucky nodded shakily and felt around the side of the pod for the realise button, pressing it and stepping back.

"It'll take a couple of minutes for him to come back. After that, he's not gonna be up and about for a while and he's gonna need warming up. Check the other pods for other people." Bucky ordered. Steve and Natasha nodded and walked off, coming back a few moments later just as the pod let out a flood of mist, the door lifting off and moving out of the way. The boy stayed frozen for a moments before falling forward, into Bucky's waiting arms. The boy fought weekly in his arms, making small quiet noises in protest.

"Kid, kid, stop fighting. I'm not gonna hurt you, I'm not with HYDRA, I'm with the good guys. We're gonna keep you safe, we're gonna help you." Bucky said gently, the boy protested for a moment longer before slumping in Bucky's arms and going limp.

"There you go. You're okay. Go to sleep kid, we're gonna get you home."

——————————————————

Peter, who Bucky had spent hours with just to get him to tell him his name, even if they had his complete file was fidgety and cautious of everything. After getting him processed and a part of SHIELD and a member of the team, he was coaxing Peter into bed. After convincing Peter to shower, eat and change clothes Peter desperately needed sleep after being in stasis for possibly years, even with the two hours he got on the plane to the compound.

"I can stay while you sleep if you want." Bucky offered, watching Peter who was standing in the middle of the room and wringing his hands. He nodded slowly and dropped his hands, drumming the side of his thighs.

"Okay, you want help into bed?" Bucky asked, Peter looked him in the eyes, searching for something before he found it. He nodded slowly. Bucky nodded and pulled back the covers for Peter, who watched in curiosity. Bucky knew that he wouldn't remember anything for a long time, but with time Bucky was hopeful he'd remember. After a moment he pets the free spot in the bed on the bottom sheet.

"Lay there and I'll pull the covers over you," Bucky said with a small smile, Peter nodded and slowly got into the bed, sliding his legs under the covers and humming as he sunk into the mattress, resting his head on the pillow. Bucky grinned and pulled the covers over him, he'd specifically gotten extra blankets because Peter obviously ran colder than normal humans.

"I know, when I first lay in a bed I never wanted to get out. You should sleep better then you have in a long time." Bucky said quietly, propping Peter's head up with another pillow and putting one by his side. Bucky himself had a habit of hugging them in his sleep after he was free from HYDRA. Peter hummed and tugged the pillow up to his side.

"I'll sit, I have some paperwork to do."

—————————————————

Peter was sat cross-legged in the lounge room slumped over the coffee table. Bucky understood Peter's discomfort when sitting in chairs and couches when he couldn't remember anything but sitting on floors. Steve, Natasha, Tony and Wanda were also in the living room, most of them reading or talking. Steve was sketching Peter on the floor, who looked a mix of shocked and gleeful when Steve showed him he'd drawn him.

"Getting bored Pete?" Bucky asked. Peter looking up at him and nodded.

"Well you've already read all of the books in the library and learnt how to use computers laptops and phones faster then Steve and Bucky did," Tony said, not even looking up from his Stark pad.

"You drawn yet?" Steve asked suddenly, sinking to the floor next to Peter who recoiled away from him for a moment before relaxing and going back to his position. He shook his head and watched Steve closely as he pulled out a brand new notebook from nowhere, (Bucky knew from experience that Steve could pull one from nowhere and no, he didn't know how) and several graphite pencils and blenders. Peter narrowed his eyes and took them carefully, staring down at them and looking between Steve and them.

"You can keep them. I've been trying to find time to give them to you." Steve said, getting up from the floor and sitting back in his seat. They all peeked up from their distractions to watch Peter carefully open the drawing pad, and slowly start drawing. He propped his head up on his elbow as he drew what the team could only describe as almost photos.

"Why'd he look shell shocked when I gave him the drawing pad?" Steve asked, watching Peter closely.

"First possession that's solely his. I was like that at the start. Remember?" Bucky asked. Steve hummed and turned back to watch Peter.

After several hours Peter had already worked through at least half of the drawing pad, his eyebrows furrowed. Bucky could tell just by his expression he was remembering, and based off of the lack of reaction to Bucky sinking to the floor beside him was anything to go by he was subconsciously drawing.

"What you drawing?" Bucky asked. Peter looked up with a dazed expression on his face and frowned, placing the pencil down and sliding the book over to Bucky who stared down at it. It was what looked like young Peter and two people who Bucky assumes we're his parents.

"I think they're my parents," Peter said quietly. Everyone snapped their heads up to look at him. He barely said anything other then three-word sentences.

"Yeah? Do you remember their names?" Bucky asked, flipping through the drawing with Peter's watchful eye. More and more drawings of what Bucky realised were vivid memories.

"I think they're dead." Peter said suddenly. Bucky looked up at him and gaped at Peter. Peter shrugged.

"Yeah. They're dead." He said quietly, staring back down at the coffee table and shrugging.

"How do you know that?" Bucky asked. Peter slid the notebook back over to himself and flipped to the third page, pointing to it and sliding it back over to Bucky. The same woman from before, obviously in first-person based on the view of his mother.

"I remember that. She and my," Peter paused for a moment, "Richard had to go on a business trip and she promised she'd come back." Peter said, pausing to flip a few pages to what looked like a newspaper article.

"And her and his names are in the newspaper article I remember. And this one. It's of a photo I've seen. And I think that's me. As a baby." Peter said, flipping a few pages again and pointing to a photo of a baby swaddled up in blankets and being held by his father with his mother cooing at him.

"Do you remember anyone else important?" Bucky asked gently. Peter nodded and flipped to another drawing of another photo, Peter smiling wide in the middle, his parents were gone, he was with a woman and man, and a boy and girl the same age as him.

"That's Ben, and that's May. They were my aunt and Uncle. And those were my friends. But I can't remember their names." Peter said slowly, Bucky nodded. He was shocked by how calm and collected Peter was. But he also didn't miss Peter's Adam's apple bobbing in his throat, his lips pressed into a thin line, his knuckles white and tears burning in the corners of his eyes.

"Do you know where they live?" Bicky asked. Peter shook his head and slid the book back to himself and closed the book.

"They aren't alive either."

—————————————————

Bucky sat up suddenly when he heard the screaming and struggling from down the hall, more specifically Peter's room.

"Mr Barnes, I have been told to inform you is Peter is in extreme distress," FRIDAY said from overhead. Bucky threw off his covers and stumbled out of bed, slamming open his door and running down the hall and slamming open Peter's door. Steve, Natasha and Tony were standing tiredly outside the door, following Bucky into Peter's room.

In the six months, Peter had been at the compound he'd decorating his room with posters from various shows and books, drawing from and Steve and himself. Tony had even got him a Star Wars bedspread. Peter had hugged the life out of him when he gave it to him, surprising even himself as Tony was the first person he'd hugged since they found him.

Peter was tangled up in the sheets, balled in his fists, head shaking back and forth, back arched off of the bed and feet kicking wildly. Bucky unfroze and rushed to beside the bed, ripping the covers off him and scrambling for a hold on Peter's ankles and holding them against the mattress. He clambered you onto the bed and pinned Peter's ankles with his knee and getting a hold on Peter's wrists and holding them down to the bed as well. Bucky's grip loosened for a moment when Peter's eyes snapped open, Peter's body stilled immediately, chest heaving and mouth falling open.

"It was just a dream. You're okay, you're in the Avengers compound. Your name is Peter Parker and you're sixteen years old. Can you tell me my name?" Bucky asked slowly, Peter nodded slowly.

"James," Peter took in a deep breath, blinking rapidly and taking in several gulps of air.

"James Buchanan ," Peter started again, Bucky nodded encouragingly.

"James Buchanan Barnes." Peter finishes. Bucky nodded and released Peter's wrists and slowly withdrew his knee and moved to sit next to Peter.

"You okay?" Bucky asked, Peter shrugged and pulled his knees up to his chest, his back resting against the headboard. Peter shook his head no and buried his head in his knees. Bucky sighed and shifted to sit next to him.

"Can I touch you? Am I allowed?" Bucky asked. Peter lifted his head to nod, resting his chin on his knees. Bucky hummed and wrapped his arm around his shoulders, pulling him into his side.

"You wanna talk about it?" Bucky asked.

"The day they put me in the stasis pod. They strapped me down to one of those metal tables in the middle of the room and tested my advanced healing. And then they wiped my memories." Peter explained. Bucky's closed his eyes for a moment. He could remember the pain of the testing, and the pain of the memory wipe.

"It hurt? Like when I got it?" Bucky's asked, Peter nodded.

"Yeah. Worse than when I cracked my head open when I was seven." Peter muttered. Normally the human brain couldn't remember the pain, but HYDRA had spent many years experimenting on the human brain so that it could.

"Yeah. It always hurts real bad. Do you remember going into the pod?" Bucky asked. Peter nodded.

"Yeah, it was really dark and cold. And I was really scared cause they pushed me into it and the sound it made when the door closed and started freezing me. It was so cold in there." Peter said. Bucky hummed and pulled Peter closer to him.

"But you're okay now. You aren't ever gonna be cold again."


	53. A kid?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An-I'm so sorry I'm doing another stargate crossover (Peter's a dad)

Sam, Daniel, Cameron, Vala and Teal'c were sitting awkwardly in the briefing room with the newest member of the SGC. Sam had worked with him a few times, and they'd of course seen him around, but it seemed that General Landry knew him very well.

"Hank, I just can't." Peter insisted. SG-1 was very shocked to see this nerdy little guy was addressing him by his first name.

"Can't my ass Peter, you remember that time you told me you couldn't take care of Piper? And how old is she now?" Landry asked, Peter crosses his arms over his chest and sighed.

"She's six." He said quietly. Landry nodded and waved a hand.

"Exactly. If you can take care of a child on your own then you can go off-world for a week. And if you can graduate high school at sixteen and college at twenty one then you can do this." Landry said. Peter leaning forward and placed his hands on the table.

"But I can't! What if she gets hurt and I have to pick her up? Or what if I get hurt and can't pick her up?" Peter said frantically, Landry just placed a calm hand on his shoulder.

"Peter, I will personally pick her up from school and get her to MJ's house. And I have full faith that you will not get hurt. You're smart and you're strong, just like your parents." Landry said, Peter sighed, rubbing his hands through his hair.

"Fine. But if even a hair on Piper's head is gone when I get back I will riot. Don't test me hank." Peter said firmly. Landry nodded and made a shooing motion.

"Good. I'll have the reports sent to you. Go home early tonight and spend the weekend with Piper. No fighting me on this. Now go Peter." Landry said, Peter groaned frantically and slunk out of the room, muttering darkly in Italian making Daniel's lips tug upwards.

"What just happened?" Daniel asked cautiously.

"That is my godson, Peter Parker. I looked after him when his parents died as a kid." Landry explained briefly.

"And who's Piper?" Vala asked.

"His daughter."

—————————————————

Peter stumbled once he got the other side of the gate, a wide smiled tugging at his lips. He readjusted his backpack and held the case in his hands tighter.

"That is something else," Peter said quietly.

"That is the point, Peter Parker," Teal'c said. Peter glanced at him for a moment before picking up another one of the cases.

"Have I told you how much I hate my full name?" Peter asked.

"You have, but you also haven't given us another name for you," Sam said, picking up two of the other cases.

"My middle names Benjamin if that helps," Peter said.

"Cool. Well now that you're officially a member of SG-1 get used to being called Parker." Cameron said. Peter whipped around to look at him.

"Sorry?" Peter asked.

"Oh, no one told you?" Daniel asked. Peter nodded shakily and pulled another case into his arms.

"I can't tell if I'm light-headed because I have a permanent position on one of the teams or because I just went through a wormhole," Peter said shakily.

"Probably both." Cameron quipped. Peter nodded again and pushed up his glasses.

"Okay, we have seven days to install the Asgard power source and implement it into all systems and households," Sam said, leading the team to the town hall.

"The power source can be implemented in two days, and I to the systems in three and households in one," Peter said hurriedly, following closely after Sam.

"So we have one free day to explore New Dakara," Cameron said in bordem.

"Or we could go back to base?" Peter said awkwardly.

"I have never met someone excited to go home after being off-world," Daniel said, Peter shrugged.

"My daughter has dance practice and I wanted to be there," Peter said quietly.

"You are a very dedicated Father," Teal'c commented. Peter shrugged.

"Just love her a lot. Her mums not around so I have to be the fun parent and the mean parent at the same time." Peter said with a shrug.

"Okay, set your stuff here and get started," Cameron said. Sam and Peter nodded, putting the cases down and tugging off their backpacks.

"You must be the new member of the team my father told me about. He did however not tell me that you are extremely handsome." A voice said from behind him. Peter turned sharply and reddened spectacularly, fumbling with the case he was holding. He quickly put it down and straightened, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose again.

"I'm not so sure you could describe me as handsome, but thank you. And yes, that's me." Peter said, clasping his hands behind his back. The man looked around Peter's age and had just called Peter handsome, and Peter was pretty sure this guy was a literal god. SG-1 repressed the urge to chuckle, even Teal'c. Peter had basically short-circuited.

"Please ignore my son Peter Benjamin, he likes to flirt as you would say," Teal'c said. Peter nodded slowly and shook himself for a moment.

"I am Rya'c of Chulak. And you are?" Rya'c asked, Peter grinned sheepishly, most people weren't interested in him.

"Peter Parker. I'm from New York." Peter said.

"Lovely. I will show you the current power source of New Dakara." Rya'c said, stepping forward and taking Peter's hand and dragging him off before he or Cameron could get a protest in.

"I think Rya'c has a crush." Vala teased. Teal'c nodded his head solemnly.

"Indeed."

———————————————————

After getting the power source implemented SG-1, except Peter, of course, were spending the last day with the council in celebration. Peter didn't join, insisting on staying back where their rooms were, sitting cross-legged on the balcony with his _Love, Simon_ book open on his lap, pencil in hand and scribbling away in the margins.

"What language is that?" A voice said behind him. Peter jerked violently and fought to catch his pencil. He blushed when he looked down at the book and realised he'd been writing in Italian.

"Oh, it's a habit. It's um, it's my native language. I write in it accidentally when I'm not concentrating." Peter mumbled, closing the book awkwardly and turning to the voice. He blushed when he saw Rya'c behind him.

"Why are you not celebrating with the others?" He asked, sitting down slowly next to Peter who shrugged.

"I'm not really a celebrating type," Peter said quietly. He didn't really want to bring up his daughter but he didn't want to go out celebrating.

"What type are you then?" Rya'c asked, Peter snorted.

"Getting all my paperwork done early so I can go home and stay up late watching Star Wars reruns." Peter supplied. Rya'c grinned.

"Definitely my type." He said, Peter ignoring the comment to blink rapidly, "What are you reading?" He asked.

"Simon versus the Homosapien agenda. It's my favourite book." Peter said, handing him the book. Rya'c took it and read the blurb.

"Why is it your favourite book?" He asked, flipping through the first few pages covered in cramped writing and small doodles.

"It's about a boy who's struggling to come out as gay. It's one of the first books I read when I was struggling to work out my sexuality and then come out. Cause my parents died when I was little and my family isn't around it was hard to come out cause I had no one to fall back on. And I guess Simon reminds me of young me." Peter said simply, paired with a shrug.

"What is your sexuality?" Rya'c asked. Peter reddened again.

"I'm bisexual. I am attracted to both genders." Peter said. Rya'c made a small noise and considered it for a moment.

"I think I am bisexual to then. We do not have words for different sexualities where I am from. Will you read this book to me?" Rya'c asked, Peter nodded with a small smile and took the book back from him and started reading.

Teal'c wasn't going to say anything, but he quite approved of Rya'c's crush on Peter. The view of Rya'c and Peter sitting opposite each other, Peter reading aloud quietly while Rya'c listens intently, was something Teal'c was very fond of.

——————————————————

"Heard you're being sent off-world today," Cameron said. Peter made a groaning noise and put down his tray of food, slumping in his chair.

"Yep, really tired though, had to stay up late watching Disney with my daughter cause she had a nightmare," Peter said tiredly, rubbing his knuckles into his closed eyes.

"Nightmares about what?" Vala asked in amusement. Peter glanced up at her and shrugged.

"Something about yellow spiders and orange couches. Not really sure, she woke me up by jumping on my stomach and I almost threw up." Peter said, prodding at the plate of food.

"Maybe she just wanted to watch Disney movies with her dad," Daniel said. Peter looked up at him and winced.

"Probably. But she has those damn puppy eyes." Peter grumbled.

"What are you going off-world for?" Sam asked, Peter shrugged.

"Apparently the Asgard power source on New Dakara is messing up the grid for several homes and Rya'c has requested that I fix it specifically. Landry's picking my daughter up in case I stay late and can't come back to base until tomorrow." Peter said, prodding at his food again and making a face.

"I do not think there is a legitimate problem with the power source." Teal'c interrupted. Peter rose an eyebrow and crossed his arms on top of the table.

"Then why am I being requested?" Peter asked suspiciously.

"Because Rya'c has a crush on you," Vala said, leaning over the table to take Peter's hash brown. Peter scoffed and shook his head before his eyes widened. His mouth morphed into an 'o' shape, a blush covering his whole face and spreading down his neck and into his shirt.

"I feel like a massive idiot. I haven't even told him I have a kid yet. Oh my god, I did not get enough sleep for this."

—————————————————

"You know, I didn't really catch on that it was odd that you kept requesting for my help when things went wrong with the Asgard technology, then I turn up nothings wrong and you say you didn't know how to use it. Then, you suggest I stay for the night because it's getting late. And turns out I was never going to catch on but your father told me some very interesting information, apparently, you have a crush on me." Peter said, wiping his brow and tightening the bolt. His jacket was in a heap next to him and he'd rolled his sleeves up to his shoulders.

He put the wrench down and turned to Rya'c, who for the first time since Peter met him was blushing madly, mouth opening and closing.

"And I will admit I probably never would have found out because I am easily the most oblivious person in the universe. But I have a very massive and persistent crush on you also, and I'm not really sure how dating a person from another planet goes but when I asked General Landry about it he said he'd deal with it. But I need to tell you something before anything happens because it could greatly change your opinion of me." Peter said. Rya'c was about to say something but Peter held up his hand, still holding the wrench tightly.

"I have a daughter. And she comes first no matter what. She's the number one person I think about when I wake up and she's the number one person I think about when I go to sleep. She was an unplanned pregnancy, and her mother gave birth and then left me with her. And yes, it's been hard, taking care of her when I can't even remember how my own parents raised me. But I love her. And if that's a problem for you then I don't know what to say." Peter said, shifting onto his knees and facing Rya'c who copied him.

"Nothing you could ever do you affect my opinion of you. I think you're kind, and caring, intelligent and strong. You are a noble worrier and I know that you must be a wonderful father. And I hope that you will welcome me into your life and become a part of your daughter's life because I really like you Peter Benjamin Parker, and I want you to be my boyfriend." Rya'c said, cupping Peter's jaw in his hands. Peter sniffled.

"I want that too."

—————————————————

Peter blinked his eyes open slowly and was acutely aware of the sterile smell of medical. The memories of the last mission came rushing back, the local tampering with the power core Peter was fixing for them, causing it to blow up and slam him against the opposite wall. He moved his legs just to make sure he still had them, and then his arms, smiling softly when he was stopped by his left hand being held tightly by Rya'c and his right being held by Piper. He smiled when he tugged on her arm and she slowly woke up. Her face broke into a wide smile, her eyes widening.

"Daddy! You're awake!" She shouted, standing up on her chair. Peter smiled softly, suddenly aware of how tired he was.

"Yeah, I am princess. You been sittin' with me since I came back to base?" He asked, award if Rya'c shifting beside him.

"Yeah! Got pulled out of school and everything. They said you got hurt bad." She said, Peter nodded slowly.

"Yeah, I did. You wanna get up on the bed and gimmie a cuddle?" Peter said. Piper frowned.

"They said I wasn't allowed cause I could hurt you." She said sadly. Peter blinked and looked down at himself, peeking under the thin blanket and cringing, he had casts on his legs and his torso was covered in bandages.

"Well, as long as you're careful I should be fine. Plus, princess Piper hugs make everything better." Peter said. Piper grinned up at him and carefully clambered onto the bed, tucking herself into his side. He turned his head to look at Rya'c who looked apprehensive and awkward. Peter reached for his hand and pulled him closer to the bed.

"Hey Pips, you know that guy named Rya'c I always talk about?" Peter asked, Piper peeked above peter chest and narrowed her eyes at Rya'c who offered her a small wave.

"Yeah. He's your boyfriend." She said, Peter nodded.

"Yeah, and I love him very very much," Peter said, freezing for a moment when he realised he and Rya'c hadn't said the L-word.

"Like how you love Star Wars?" Piper said in awe. Peter couldn't help but through his head back and laugh.

"Yeah, like how I love Star Wars. But he doesn't get that much time to come visit so he hasn't been able to come to meet you, but he's been really wanting to." Peter explained. Piper nodded and narrowed her eyes further at Rya'c who shifted nervously.

"My daddy talks about you aaaaaalllllll the time! He says you're really nice and that you call him pretty all the time." Piper exclaimed. Peter reddened and looked up at the ceiling.

"Just telling your daddy the truth, he's the prettiest guy I've ever met. And I love him too, more than all the people in the universe." Rya'c said. Piper nodded sagely and curled back into Peter's side.

"Get up here Rya'c. Family cuddle time." Peter said tiredly, his eyelids drooping with tiredness. Rya'c smiled softly and carefully got onto the bed next to Peter, wrapping his arms around Peter's waist.

"Can we make Rya'c Lasagna?" Piper asked quietly. Peter chuckled, Piper loved Peter's lasagna.

"Uh, what's lasagna?" Rya'c asked, Peter and Piper turned sharply to look at him.

"A dish from my country. Family recipe. We are so making it for you when I get out of here." Peter said, resting his chin on top of Rya'c's head. Rya'c hummed.

"I would love that," Rya'c said. Peter hummed and quickly fell asleep, holding Rya'c and Piper tightly to his sides, snoring quietly. When the rest of SG-1 walked into medical to see how Peter was doing since they last saw him they found the three sleeping soundly in the small bed.

"That I have to say is adorable," Cameron said.

"Indeed," Teal'c said with a soft smile.

"Landry's given Rya'c permission to go off base with Peter and Piper while Peter recovers," Sam said.

"What are they even going to do?" Vala asked.

"Peter's probably going to show Rya'c Star Wars, force-feed him Italian food, and then binge-watch Disney movies with Piper and Rya'c," Daniel said. The other four turned to him.

"What? That's literally what he said he'd do if Rya'c ever got permission to go off base with Peter."


	54. Oh, to be sixteen again

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An-The team get turned into teenagers and take advantage of it
> 
> TW-Brief scene of violence and blood

"I can't believe we're stuck at sixteen years olds for two weeks," Tony muttered darkly.

"At least you don't have acne," Bruce grumbled darkly.

"And Stevie looks like he did before the serum. Just as adorable though." Bucky cooed. Steve reddened and hid his face in Bucky's side.

"Shh, the kids coming," Natasha whispered frantically.

"If you hadn't noticed we're kids too," Clint grumbled.

"He can't be spiderman, look at him," Steve exclaimed quietly. They watched the boy lean over the office counter and smiled lazily at the receptionist as he gathered the timetables and locker numbers, talking quietly to the receptionist who was smiling at him.

"If you can be captain America he can be Spiderman," Bucky said, shining his arm around Steve's shoulders.

"But look at him. He looks way too innocent." Bruce said. They watched as he stood up and stretched his back.

"Nevermind Brucie, look at him, he's got muscle for days," Tony said.

"And yet he's still so tiny," Natasha said. The boy offered them a wave and walked over slowly.

"Hi! I'm Peter Parker!" He said excitedly, an Italian accent bleeding into his voice. They all waved slowly and smiled softly, this kid could light up a room. He handed the papers as he listed off their names.

"Robert Downey Jr, Italian exchange, Chris Evans, Irish exchange, Jeremy Renner, deaf student exchange, Scarlet Johanson, Russian exchange, Mark Ruffalo, student exchange, Sebastian Stan, Russian exchange, Chris Hemsworth, Norwegian exchange. Nice, well now I'm not the only Italian." Peter said, putting his hands on his hips. They all shared a glance then looked back at Peter.

"Why do I have the feeling you guys all know each other?" Peter asked suspiciously.

"Exchange office got us acquainted." Tony excused, Peter cocked an eyebrow.

"Really? Cause Chris E and Sebastian look a little more close then friends." Peter said. Steve immediately reddened, something he didn't miss about pre-serum, covered head to toe in blush.

"Being gay isn't something taboo here is it?" Bucky asked, Peter shrugged.

"It depends on who you hang out with. I'm not popular, like at all, so it's a bit iffy. I mean I'm bisexual, but that's not the only reason I get picked on." Peter said, shrugging again.

After showing them to their lockers, conveniently next to his own, and showing them around the entire school they were going to their first class. Peter narrowed his eyes when he realised they were all in the same classes, but he didn't say anything. He grunted when he was shoved into the locker beside him, hard, mid-sentence.

"Out of my way, penis." A guy sneered. Peter rolled his eyes and straightened his collar, and pulled his jumper back down. He muttered darkly under his breath in Italian as he picked his forgotten backpack off the floor.

"Does that happen a lot?" Natasha asked, Peter shrugged and retired his shoelace.

"Ever since freshmen year. Guy named Eugene Thompson and his goons love to pick on me. But don't call him Eugene, he goes by Flash. I made that fateful mistake sophomore year." Peter said quietly, scuffing his shoes on the floor as he led them to their class again, holding his backpack straps tightly.

"But that's disgusting. He's just picking on you for no reason." Steve protested. Peter shrugged.

"Oh, he has reasons, just not good ones," Peter said, holding open the door for the six and walking in after them. He led them to two middle seats and then sat alone at the lab table informs of them. Flash came in a shoved Peter's textbook off of the table, making him raise his hands.

" _Come on man! Why are you such an asshole?_ " Peter shouted in Italian.

"Don't push it, Parker." Flash sneered. Peter narrowed his eyes before he slowly picked up his textbook and slammed it down on his desk again. Halfway through the class, which Tony and Bruce flew through, Flash started throwing balled-up prices of paper at him.

None of them missed how his body tensed a split second before the paper hit him, like he knew it was coming. He just shoved the papers in his backpack and sighed each time, notiblynot doing his work.

"You not gonna open the papers Parker?" Flash asked form across the classroom. The teacher immediately looked up at him and sighed.

"If you want to yell across the classroom to Peter, then move to sit next to him. I'm sure he won't object." She said. Flash grinned and picked up his things and sat next to Peter who had frozen immediately at the mention of him moving. The team watched as Flash started to poke his arm and poke fun at him.

"You mad Parker? Gonna go cry to your parents?" Flash teased, Peter's shoulders slumped and his grip tightened on his pencil. He closed his book before staring ahead at the board.

"Oh wait, they're dead, aren't they? How about you tell your uncle Ben-oh wait! He's dead too. Wasn't it all over the news, didn't he jump in front of a bullet for you?" Flash said. Peter's leg started bouncing under the table, his breathing becoming uneven. The pencil snapped in his hands with the tiniest press, gaining Tony and Bruce's interest.

"What about Aunt May? Oh, wait! She's dead too, isn't she? All alone Parker? What about your little boyfriend? Or is he just some prostitute you paid to-" Flashe as cut off by Peter jumped out of his seat and shoving Flash out of his seat, knocking his notebook of the table. Tony dived for it and quickly got FRIDAY to scan it through and send the photos to his phone. Web combinations? Definitely at least an accomplice of Spiderman.

"Fuck you! You don't get to say that shit about the one person left in my life who I love!" Peter shouted. The six had never seen Peter like this, even in the short time they'd known him they didn't think he could be anything other then excitable and happy.

"Aw, did I hit an insecurity? Little Penis Parker and his totally real boyfriend." Flash sneered. Peter shoved him again hard enough to make him stumble back.

" _You're a piece of fucking shit and I oughta-_ " Peter started in Italian. Flash just chuckled and waved a hand.

"Speak English dipshit. Or are you too dumb like your dead parents to work it out?" Flash asked. Peter lunged at him and caught him by his collar, kicking the chairs to the floor accidentally and shaking Flash by his collar.

" _You day one more fucking thing about my family and I'll pull out your spine and use it as a toothpick._ " Peter sneered. Flash just snickered. Tony couldn't help but grin at the sentence.

"I'll say all I want. What are you gonna do? Kill yourself like your useless aunt did?" Flash asked. Peter looked like he would slit Flash's throat if he said another word.

" _You heartless cold-hearted panini head! She got into a hit and run car crash and you have the audacity to say that? Fuck you and your stupid face and your stupid words. And go to FUCKING hell._ " Peter shouted, shaking him by the collar again.

"Falling on deaf ears Parker. Why don't you skip on out if this classroom and-" Flash was cut off by a deafening crack. Peter was fast as lightning, dropping his collar and punching him across the face. Flash stumbled back and held a hand to his nose that was gushing blood.

"Gentlemen! Do I need to call the principal?" The teacher cut in. Peter and Flash made eye contact before Flash shook his head.

"No ma'am, just fell asleep and hit the desk. I think I'll go back to my desk now."

——————————————————

After a week, they knew for sure that Peter was Spiderman. Not only his display of spider senses in their first class, but Tony and Peter had sneakily attached a tracker to his neck in the change rooms. Peter had given them a very odd look when Tony pulled his shirt down and touched his neck.

Peter was currently talking animatedly at the lunch table when his phone rang in his pocket, making him jolt. He frowned as he fumbled to pull it out of his pocket, his eyes widened for a moment before he grinned, face reddening spectacularly. He pressed accept call and smiled sheepishly.

"Hey, Harls. How you doin'?" Peter asked, crossing his arms on the table and placing his chin on them.

"That's great, I'm doing great, hanging around some new transfer students. Yeah, I'm holding up, got some flowers for May over the weekend. Yeah. Mhm. Oh really?" Peter asked, a wide smile tugging at his lips.

"Save it, lover boy, I'm in the cafeteria. How close are you to New York now? You'll get here in a couple of days? Great, I'll have everything ready. Yep, bye. Love you too." Peter said. Clicking hang up and grinning sheepishly down at his phone screen. He looked up with a dazed expression on his face and smiled.

"Who was that?" Natasha teased, Peter shrugged.

"No one." He said unconvincingly. His grin widened as his phone dinged with messages.

"'No one' doesn't make you blush like a tomato and giggle on the phone." Bucky added. Peter waved a hand.

"Just my boyfriend, he's staying with me for a while at my apartment while he tries to get a job with his old friend." Peter said dismissively, turning off his phone and looking back up.

"Your apartment?" Tony asked. Peter shrugged.

"Yeah, you probably already heard. My parents are like, not alive, and I used to live with my aunt and uncle but they're gone too, so I put in a lease for my own apartment." Peter said.

"Must be great to have your own apartment." Bruce said. Peter shrugged.

"Nah, it's okay. Gets lonely sometimes especially since my old friends don't come around anymore." Peter said with a shrug.

"Bet it's great not having a curfew or being allowed to have boys around." Steve said, Peter blushed darkly and shook his head.

"I have my own curfew for myself. And I am very loyal, my boyfriend lives in Tennessee, so I'm very very happy that he's coming to New York." Peter said dreamily.

"Gross, you're worse then Seb and Chris." Natasha said. She was the only one able to switch to the new names, Thor had have to stop coming to school purely because he couldn't switch.

"Only when I wanna be." Peter said quietly.

"Gross. Go be gay come where else." Tony said, waving a hand. Peter snorted and grinned at him.

"Never."

—————————————————

"No, no you have to press the lever up first. See there you go. We have history." Peter explained. Bruce nodded and opened his locker. Peter was practically vibrating when they got to the cafeteria, he had a habit of getting over-excited. They were all surprised when Peter froze, his hands dropping to his sides and mouth falling open. They were even more shocked when Peter broke into a run and threw himself at a boy his age.

The boy cradled him to his chest, pressing kisses into Peter's wild hair repeatedly. Peter looked up at him and raised onto his tiptoes, just realising how short he was compared to Harley. He closed his eyes and pulled Harley down by the back of his neck into a soft kiss. They pulled away after a moment, Harley with a cocky grin and Peter blazing red.

"Shut up," Peter muttered, burying his face into Harley's chest.

"That was something, you just kissed me informed if your entire year. Hot." Harley teased, messing with Peter's hair. Peter swatted his back and held him tighter.

"Gross. I won't ever kiss you again if you say something like that ever again." Peter growler. Harleys eyes widened.

"I take it back! You're adorable and I love you!" Harley exclaimed. Peter grinned as he pulled back from Harley's chest and pecked him on the lips. Peter took his hands and started swinging their arms slightly, a wide smile on his face as he led them over to the team.

Tony's eyes widened, this was Harley, the kid who fixed his suit and was absolutely adorable even if he wouldn't admit it. He had to refrain from throwing his arms around Harley's shoulders and teasing him beyond relief, but then he remembered that he's in the body of his sixteen-year-old self.

"Harley, my friends, my friends, Harley, my boyfriend," Peter said with a wide smile. Natasha narrowed her eyes and stepped forward, tipping her head up to look Harley in the eyes.

"You hurt Peter and I will slit your throat." She threatened, manipulating her voice so her Russian accent bled into her voice. Peter's eyes widened and he waved his free hand around.

"No! He will not be hurting me and you will not be slitting his throat. End of conversation!" Peter exclaimed. After a few minutes of chattering and getting to know each other Harley narrowed his eyes at Tony.

"Do I know you?" He asked. Tony straightened his back and shook his head.

"Maybe, but I guess we'll find out."

————————————————

"Peter Parker and Harley Keener?" A man asked them. Harley has been coming to Peter's break hours and picking him up form school, but Harley's beaten you car had been moved and in its place was a black Audi with a man in a black suit standing informed of it.

Harley and Peter shared a glance before turning back to him. Harley reached protectively for Peter's hand, holding it tightly.

"That's us." Harley said. The man nodded and opened the car door.

"Great. Get in. Everything will be explained, you're going to upstate New York."

——————————————————

"Why are we at the Avengers compound?" Peter said through his teeth. Harley shrugged.

"No idea Darlin'. But I am not letting go of your hand." Harley responded through his teeth.

"You better fuckin' not." Peter teased. Harley rolled his eyes and kissed Peter's cheek.

"Come on boys, you've got people to meet." Happy, who they'd only just learnt the name of, said. Peter and Harley nodded and followed the man, jumping out of their skins when they were addressed by FRIDAY, and stood awkwardly in the elevator.

"FRIDAY will take you to the common rooms and you'll wait there until the people who want to see you see you." Happy said.

"Who wants to see us?!" Peter shouted out of the closing doors, Happy just waved and turned away from them. Peter huffed and cuddled Harley's arm to his chest.

"That guys a meanie." Peter pouted. Harley grinned down at him and pressed a kiss into Peter's hair.

"Calm down buttercup, he's just doing his job." Harley soothed, kissing Peter's curls again. Once the doors opened Harley and Peter stepped outside the elevator and walked awkwardly into the living room.

"What the hell is going on?" Peter whispered.

"Maybe they know about your extracurriculars," Harley whispered back.

"Indeed we do." Said a voice from behind the tow. They both turned toward them and found Tony, Steve, Natasha, Clint, Bruce, Thor and Bucky standing behind them. Peter stumbled slightly and crashed into Harley, who pulled him back into his feet easily.

"This isn't good. Are you guys gonna kill me? Cause I didn't mean to get my genetics forcibly altered and get all weird." Peter blurted out. They all laughed and shook their heads.

"No, we just wanted to get eyes on you and make sure you weren't a threat. And you definitely aren't. Cause we spent two weeks with you." Tony said. Peter rose an eyebrow in confusion before realisation crossed his face.

"Oh my god. You're the transfer students. Oh, this ain't good. Oh, you saw me get into that fight with Flash and-" Peter was cut off by Harley turning him around frantically.

"You got into a fight with Flash and didn't tell me?!" Harley shouted frantically. Peter reddened and nodded slowly.

"It wasn't really a fight, I was the one that punched him. But I didn't do it for no reason he was saying stuff about my parents and May and Ben and then he started saying stuff about you and I just couldn't let him keep saying it." Peter blurted.

"He also said some very colourful things in Italian." Tony supplied.

"You should hear him during sex." Harley breathed. Peter reddened further and clamped a hand over Harley's mouth.

"Harley!" He shouted.

"Gross. Now anyway. I wanted to present an offer. I hire Harley, because I know for a fact you were coming to see me cause Pepper said you had an appointment with me. And, I make a super-suit for Peter so that he's not swinging around in rags. You okay Pete?" Tony asked suddenly, Peter looked up at him and grinned, his eyes flickering to Steve who was now not tiny and sickly.

"I can't believe Captain America used to be a fucking twink man. Harls', sweetheart, this is the best day of my life." Peter cackled, clutching his stomach as he burst into laughter.

"I was not a twink!"


	55. Sick day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An-Peter is home sick and meets the rouges

"Why's it such a mess up here?" Clint asked Tony who shifted nervously. They'd come up to the penthouse after talking with Fury in one of the meeting rooms. Tony hurriedly stacked the abandoned plates, bowls and cups. He folded the blankets, straightened the pillows, opened the blinds, windows and sprayed some air freshener. He rushed to pick up the books and colouring-in books Peter had left scattered from the night before.

"Uh, I had a guest?" Tony said awkwardly.

"A guest who has a Star Wars blanket and custom Spiderman converse?" Clint asked. Tony reddened and took the items from Clint and hid them behind his back. He was about to say something when a very sleepy and sick Peter, swaddled tightly in a blanket walked intot he living room. His hair was flying in every direction and he was pale and sweaty.

"Is that a new shirt?" Peter asked, hoarse and nasally.

"Yes, I got it last week," Tony said. Peter nodded and sniffled, wiping his nose on his sleeve.

"I've seen it before though," Peter said with narrowed eyes. Tony nodded slowly. Peter's eyes widened and he grinned.

"Oh, I saw it this morning," Peter said sheepishly. Tony rolled his eyes.

"Yes. You did. When you came out of your room and informed me that you got the worst case of the flu Dr Cho has ever seen." Tony said, Peter nodded tiredly.

"Yes. I did. Can I have a hug?" Peter said hurriedly, Tony nodded and opened his arms for Peter to hug him. Peter nodded to himself and hugged Tony, somehow getting his arms out of the blanket.

"Tired?" Tony asked, Peter hummed and nodded.

"Yeah, but I had a nightmare." Peter said quietly. Tony looked over Peter's head at the rogues who were stood in confusion and curiosity.

"Cool. What do you wanna do?" Tony asked.

"Hongy." Peter whined. Tony nodded.

"Okay. Well before food, you should turn around." Tony said. Peter nodded and turned around slowly, pulling the blanket around himself again before looking up. His eyes widened and his mouth fell open.

"Is this just a really weird fever dream?" Peter asked quietly. Tony shook his head and threw his arm around Peter's shoulder.

"Nope," Tony said. Peter nodded slowly. He detached himself from Tony's side and stomped up to Steve.

"If you ever, and I mean ever hurt a hair on my dads head I can and will destroy you. Nice to see you again Cap." Peter said, doing a mock salute and turning on his heels and walking out of the room into the kitchen.

"That's Spiderman?" Bucky asked incredulously. Tony nodded, almost giggling at Steve's slightly terrified face.

"Yep, but he's got spider genetics so he can't get human viruses. But it's spider flu season apparently and he's got the super four and no medication will work on him." Tony said.

"I like him," Wanda said.

"He has that effect on people. Now I need to follow my rabid son before he burns down my tower."


	56. The lucky lady

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An-MTF Peter Parker gets outed and slowly comes out. When the rogues come back issues arise
> 
> Pronoun and name changes occur throughout the story
> 
> TW-Brief scene of violence, transphobia

Peter had barely gotten into the cafeteria when Flash grabbed him by his collar tightly. Peter cried out at the sudden aggression and held Flash's wrist in his hands tightly, having to stand on the tips of his toes to keep standing up with Flash holding his collar.

"What the hell is goin' on?" Peter struggled out as Flash tightened his grip on Peter's collar.

"I guess the name Penis Parker is more fitting then I thought huh?" Flash sneered. Peter blinked several times in confusion.

"What?" Peter asked. Flash grinned down at him, twisting this collar and raising his fist.

"Your friend Ned told us everything," Flash said. Peter's eyes widened, what had he told him? About Spiderman? About his kind of father figure relationship with Tony? About his crush on MJ? Or, wait or, but no he couldn't have.

"Told you what?" Peter said through gritted teeth. Flash laughed manically.

"That you wanna be a girl. That you're a good for nothing Trannie. What would Uncle Ben think of you now Penis?" Flash sneered, raising his fist higher and punching Peter across the face. Peter's head lifted back, his feet sweeping out from underneath him. Flash chuckled and let him fall into a heap on the floor.

"But I'm not, I never-" Peter started, but Flash didn't let him finish.

"He showed us the texts, and the website you made an account on to get coming out advice," Flash explained. Peter could feel the tears burning in his eyes, and hear everyone laughing around him. His eyes scanned the crowd until he found Ned's eyes, he looked him in the eyes for a moment before standing up on shaky feet and pushing through the crowd of people. People elbowed him and jabbed his sides, he broke into a run and ran down the hallway, people looked out their classrooms to stare at him and his blooming black eye.

Peter slammed open one of the stall doors, closing the toilet seat lid hurriedly and sitting on top of it, folding his legs under himself. He sniffled, staring down at the floor and hugging himself with his arms. He kicked his backpack on the floor and sniffled again. He hid his face in his hands when he heard the bathroom door open again. He looked up in fear when he heard the stall door open, he raised an eyebrow when he saw MJ standing there leaning against the doorframe.

"What are you doing in the boy's bathroom?" Peter asked.

"What are you doing?" MJ asked. Peter sniffled and shrugged.

"Crying mostly. And hiding. And waiting until schools over." Peter listed. MJ nodded slowly and waved her hand.

"Well, stop crying and come and get a hug," MJ demanded. Peter nodded slowly and stood up from the toilet, walking slowly over to MJ before falling into her arms. MJ hummed and started rubbing his back.

"It was not okay what Ned or Flash did. And I hope you know that I support and love you no matter what. But you need to tell your truth." MJ said firmly. peter nodded into her shoulder.

"I just, I wasn't gonna come out till after high school. And now I have to come out now. But MJ, I'm Trans, and I'm really scared. Really, really scared." Peter cried into her shoulder. MJ nodded slowly.

"It's okay to be scared. And it's okay to never be okay. But I love you, because you're my friend." MJ said. Peter nodded slowly.

"MJ? You think you can start referring to me with she/her pronouns?" Peter asked nervously.

"Yeah. Of course. And we can try to find you a new name if you want."

————————————————

Peter sat wringing her hands in the passenger's seat. May was driving the car, she looked angry and frustrated, but Peter wasn't sure if she was angry at her or not. Her bangs were hanging over her forehead and eyes and she was crying again, she wasn't sure when she started crying again.

"May do you hate me?" Peter asked quietly. She jolted when the car jerked for a moment before starting driving again.

"Peter honey no. No. I could never, fuck I could never hate you. I love you so so so much, with all my heart. And I'm not angry at you, for anything. I'm angry at that godforsaken school and that asshole friend of yours and that little bitch you punched you. Fuck! I am so fucking mad right now. Coming out is supposed to be your thing! You get to decide when and where and how! And that little fucking asshole took that away from you and that principal took that away from you." May paused for a moment, tears burning in her eyes.

"Peter, or whatever name you want to go by, I love you. I have loved you since the moment I met you as that tiny little baby, and for a long time, you were the happiest baby I have ever met. But then something changed, and I wasn't sure what changed you. School, Mary and Richard dying, but it was almost like you were holding your breath. Like someone was going to find out a secret you didn't want them to know. But you, but you can exhale now honey. Because you can live your truth now. You can be you. More you then you've ever been." May said. Peter sniffled beside her, wiping her eyes and turning her head to look at May.

"Yeah. I can. And I love you too May. And thank you. For everything."

————————————————

Peter flashed her card on Pepper's door and opened it hurriedly before anyone could spot her and haul her out of the building by her ear. She had a hood on, hiding her miraculous black eye and slightly puffy eyes. She wanted to tell Pepper before she told anyone else.

"Woah, Peter buddy, what's got you in a rush?" Pepper said from beside her. Peter turned sharply and fiddling with her fingers, pulling down her hood and rubbing her cheek for a moment.

"Uh, well something happened and I need to talk to you." Peter blurted out. Pepper's mouth fell open and she shot out of her seat, running up to Peter and holding her face in her face.

"Oh, my god sweetheart! What happened? Are you okay? Who did this?" Pepper asked frantically. Peter sighed, suddenly wrapping his arms around Pepper's torso and hugging her tightly. Pepper stilled for a moment before wrapping her own arms around Peter. Peter pulled back after a moment and looked at the ground sheepishly. She sighed before looking back up at Pepper.

"I um, I need to tell you something, something really really big. And I wasn't even thinking about telling you, but I have to because Ned told everyone before I got the chance to." Peter paused for a moment and looked away from Pepper.

"Miss Potts-" she started.

"Just Pepper honey." She said firmly. Peter nodded slowly.

"Pepper, I'm, I'm transgender. And I've known for a long time. But I didn't want to, because I was scared, and I'm still scared. And, and I don't know what you're going to say but I care about what you have to say because you matter to me, a lot. And yeah. I'm transgender, and I'm proud of that." Peter said firmly. Pepper opened and closed her mouth for a moment, not sure what to say.

"Oh, honey. You matter to me, and it matters toe that you're happy. And, oh sweetheart you have no idea how much it means to me that you came out to me, that you trust me. You're the greatest teenager in the whole wide world. Thank you, for being you." Pepper said, sniffling and holding a finger under he nose. She willed the tears not to flow, she had her nice makeup on. Peter nodded slowly, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Um, Pepper, do you think I could tell Tony?" Peter asked softly.

"Of course honey. He loves you unconditionally. What pronouns are you going by sweetheart?" Pepper asked, Peter smiled shyly up at her.

"She/her please. MJ and I are trying to find a name, we've got a few already." Peter said, the tenseness of the room and the shame melting away.

"That's wonderful. Let me know once you find one. But how did you get into the building without Tony knowing? He would lose it if he saw your eye." Pepper said, cupping Peter's cheek in her hand and stroking his cheek.

"I got Karen to tell FRIDAY to not tell Tony. Didn't want him to commit a felony." Peter said with red cheeks.

"Oh it's not him you should worry about."

————————————————

"Kid! You're finally here! When Pep said you wouldn't be here yesterday I was so upset. But you're here now!" Tony exclaimed, jumping out of his seat and putting his hands on his hips. Peter stood awkwardly in the doorway, pulling her hood off and grinning sheepishly. Tony's face paled when he saw the remains of the bruise on Peter's eye.

"Oh my god! Are you okay? That looks like it hurt!" Tony exclaimed, rushing over and holding Peter's jaw in his hands firmly, turning his head to and fro, examining the bruise. Peter smiled up at him softly, Tony caring and being there for her was better than anything in the world.

"I'm fine, hurt when it happened but I'm okay now. But I need to tell you something." Peter said nervously. Tony's face dropped, raising an eyebrow and patting Peter's shoulder.

"Did you get someone pregnant? Did you kill someone? What happened?" Tony asked. Peter's eyes widened, she raised her hands and waved them around frantically.

"No! No! Nothing like that, nothing wrong well, not really, but kind of. Tony, fuck, I hate this." Peter blurted, holding a hand over her eyes. Tony blinked in surprise.

"Okay that's the first time you've called me Tony, and that's the first time I've ever heard you swear." Tony said, Peter nodded slowly and promptly burst into tears. Tony opened and closed his mouth, taking Peter by her shoulders and sitting him down on the couch in the lab.

"Jesus, Underoos I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to upset you. Shit, I'm so sorry." Tony rambled, pulling a blanket out form nowhere and wrapping Peter's shoulders in it. Peter wiped her face hurriedly and sniffled, holding the blanket tightly.

"No, you didn't do anything wrong. Just, lots of stuff it going on and I'm really overwhelmed and I just kind of need you with me right now cause lots of things are going to change and I'm really scared. But I need to tell you what's, what's goin' on first." Peter said quietly, clenching her fists around the blanket tightly. Tony nodded slowly.

"Okay kiddo, I'm all ears," Tony said, shifting closer and cuddling Peter to his side. Peter hummed in appreciation.

"I told Ned first, because I didn't understand how I was feeling or what I was thinking and we did some research. We watched videos and read articles and I signed up to a website for tips. And I wasn't even planning on telling anyone, I was just gonna hide it and ignore it, but Ned told some people, and not everyone took it well, and I got hurt." Peter paused, sighing deeply and closing her eyes.

"Tony, I'm transgender. And I need you to understand that nothing you could say or do would change that. But I need you to know cause I care about you, and I love you." Peter said, wiping her eyes hurriedly again and sniffling, her voice wobbling. Tony nodded slowly.

"Look, Underoos, I'm not good at this reassuring and comforting, but I love you, more then I've ever loved someone, and you're the one decision I have never ever second-guessed. Damnit, Bambino, you're making an old man cry. I accept you, with everything I am and everything I will ever be." Tony said firmly, holding Peter's face in his hands, tears dripping into her legs.

"I will do everything to make sure that you are comfortable, and happy and so unapologetically you. God I love you so much kiddo." Tony said softly. Peter nodded slowly and sniffled. They hugged for a moment before pulling back.

"First things first, pronouns and chosen name." Tony said firmly. Peter reddened and blinked rapidly.

"Well, I go by she/her pronouns with everyone that knows and accepts me, and MJ and I have been experimenting with names for a while and I kinda made a decision today," Peter said, blushing madly. Tony nodded and waved for her to continue.

"Well, I kinda wanted to stick with my first and last initials, with P. So Penelope. And I had Karen call my phone and ask for me by that name and I like it, a lot. But I haven't got a middle name yet, I was gonna change it to May but aunt May said she would never let me." Penny resembled, waving her hand around a little. Tony nodded slowly before narrowing his eyes at her, stroking his chin in his hand.

"How about Maria?" He asked quietly. Penny reeled back in shock.

"But that's was your mum's name. Are you sure you'd be comfortable with, with that?" Penny asked. Tony nodded slowly.

"Well, you're my kid Pen, and she'd want you to have her name. She would have loved you Pen, and she would have loved to meet my daughter." Tony said softly. Penny sniffled, nodding slowly.

"Maria it is."

————————————————

"I AM OFFICIALLY NOT-!" Penny stopped short when she ran into the lounge room to find the entire Avengers team sitting around the penthouse living room. Penny blushed darkly and patted her hips, letting out a deep breath of air. At least she was better dressed than normal, red polo shirt tucked into a red and blue pleated skirt, stockings and converse. She readjusted her bangs slightly and swallowed nervously.

"Who's this pretty lady?" Clint asked, Making Penny blush darkly. Tony leaned forward.

"Calm it birdbrain that's my daughter." Tony growled. Penny reddened further and waved a hand at Tony.

"Penelope Maria Parker-Stark. Lovely to meet you." She said with a small smile and little wave.

"You have a daughter?" Steve asked incredulously.

"Only for two years." Penny said awkwardly. Steve rose a confused eyebrow and looked between Penny and Tony.

"I adopted her," Tony explained briefly. Penny nodded in agreement and grinned.

"So how old are you?" Bucky asked.

"I just turned Seventeen," Penny said brightly. It was even bigger because it had been two years since she came out and she's been in hormones for almost two years.

"Ooh, growing up are you?" Natasha teased. Penny's eyes lit up.

"Tasha! I didn't even see you!" Penny exclaimed, rushing over to hug Natasha tightly. Natasha chuckled and hugged her tightly. She surveyed Penny's body with narrowed eyes.

"You cut your hair?" She asked in amusement. Penny had insisted she was never going to cut her hair.

"Yep, it was getting annoying in chemistry. And MJ likes it." Penny said, blushing madly when Natasha wiggles her eyebrows. Penny waved her hand and sunk into the couch next to Natasha, crossing one leg over the other and flattening her skirt.

"So, how did you and Tony meet?" Wanda asked. Tony and Penny looked each other in the eyes, Penny shrugged after a moment and Tony nodded. The team sensed they communicated via body language regularly.

"You guys remember Peter Parker? Spiderman? From Germany?" Penny asked nervously. Flattening her skirt almost obsessively, she'd changed from Spiderman to spider woman, and the public had taken it relatively well.

"Your brother or dad?" Sam asked. Penny glanced at him before swallowing and looking down at the floor.

"No. Peter is me, or maybe he never was because I was never really a boy but it just took me a long time to understand that. Peter Parker is me, Penny Parker." Penny glanced up at the very confused team.

"I'm Male to Female Transgender. My sex assigned at birth was male and my birth name was Peter Benjamin Parker. I came out two years ago and changed my name to Penelope Maria Parker-Stark, and started hormone therapy nearly two years ago. I'm still in the process of transitioning, but with my Spider DNA it has made hormone therapy easier." Penny explained slowly, clasping her hands around her knee and looking down at the floor adamatedly.

"Wow. Well, congrats?" Scott said slowly. Penny looked up and nodded, sniffling and looking up at the ceiling to stop the tears.

"Thank you," Penny said.

"So, a daughter?" Steve asked slowly.

"Tony spoils her rotten. She's his little princess." Rhodey drawled from the doorway. Penny jumped up from her seat and ran over, hugging him around his shoulders.

"Uncle Rhodey! You're back!" She shouted excitedly. Rhodey hummed.

"I am. And you're excited about something." Rhodey said. Penny pulled back and shrugged sitting back down next to Natasha.

"I am. I am." Penny said.

"Is that what you were yelling about a few minutes ago?" Tony asked. Penny nodded brightly.

"Continue," Rhodey said, squishing next to Tony on his couch.

"I am officially no longer single," Penny said, holding up and finger and grinning at Tony who opened his mouth.

"No. You're grounded." He said. Penny's eyes widened.

"What? No! For how long?" She whined.

"For till college," Tony said.

"For till college?" Penny asked.

"FOR TILL COLLEGE!" Tony shouted. Penny crossed her arms over her chest and pouted.

"Meanie." She spat. Tony rolled his eyes.

"Who's the lucky guy?" Bucky asked. Penny reddened and cleared her throat.

"Lady actually. Her names Michelle but everyone calls her MJ." Penny said, a small smile on her face.

"I like MJ," Tony said offhandedly.

"Then why am I grounded?" Penny demanded.

"Who is grounded and why?" Pepper said from the doorway. Tony's face paled and a sly smile broke across Penny's face.

"Dad wants to ground me cause MJ asked her to her girlfriend and I said yes," Penny said.

"Tony, what did we say about grounding Penny because she's being independent and making her own decisions? Like that time she decided to cut her hair into a bob?" Pepper asked. Tony shrunk into his seat.

"Not to do it." He said. The two continued to bicker while Penny giggled on the sidelines.

"You love getting your dad in trouble don't you?" Natasha teased. Penny nodded.

"Oh, it's my favourite pass time."


	57. Fear or anger?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An-SHIELD is experimenting with a new machine form HYDRA and Peter volunteers to be the test subject, the only problem is that they don't know if it triggers anger or a fear response
> 
> TW-Scenes including and alluding to molestation and domestic violence

"So you need a lab rat?" Tony asked.

"Well I would call it that, but yes, we need a test subject." The SHIELD agent said quietly.

"I'll do it!" Peter said cheerily. Everyone turned to him and shook their heads. Peter sighed and waved his hands around.

"Well, you say that you can't tell whether the responses are fear or anger because you're using older peoples emotions mix. I have clear cut things that make me angry versus scared, and my vitals are more easily monitored because the hormones and chemicals are heightened because of my metabolism. Besides, it'll be cool to know what I'm really scared or angry about." Peter explained.

"Okay, well what your seeing and feeling will be displayed via hologram and the only way to get rid of it is to defeat the holograms. You'll have five scenarios to complete." The SHIELD agent said.

After fitting Peter out with the monitoring equipment Peter was in the middle of the room. He hummed a tune, a cheery smile on his face. The team waved at him through the glass, chuckling quietly at Peter who looked as happy as can be.

"Okay. The simulation will start, and we will be able to see everything in the room." The SHIELD agent said. Peter nodded and turning in a circle. And he saw him, Skip.

"Long time no see Einstein." He said slowly. Peter stepped back several times, his eyes flickering around the room for vantage points.

"Fuck you." Peter spat. Skip tutted and waved a hand, stepping forward and laughing.

"That's no way to meet as old friend Petey. Come on, give your old friend a hug, or maybe we can play that game we made up." Skip said. Peter narrowed his eyes and lowered himself into his natural spider pose.

"We were never friends." Peter sneered. He lunged and moved to land a kick on Skip's chest, only for Skip to catch his foot inhumanly fast. Peter cried out as his head and shoulder made contact with the floor, fear and adrenaline flooding his senses and sleeping into his blood. His heart practically beating out of his chest, his breathing picking up, like he was eight again. Skips hands sprouted smaller hands and fingers, slowly groping and gripping at Peter calf's and travelling down his knees and his thighs, squeezing and pulling.

Peter frantically pulled at the hands, attempting to frantically pull away, but Skip just chuckled and flipped him over onto his stomach.

"You can't get away from me Einstein. Just stay still and it'll be over soon." Skip soothed. Peter shook his head frantically, tears pooling on the floor as Skips hands wrapped around his shorts and boxers, tugging on them slightly.

"No! I'm not scared of you anymore!" Peter shouted, sticking to the floor with the tips of his fingers and pulling himself free. Skip chuckled behind him as Peter wrenched his legs out of his hands.

"Then why are you shaking?" Skip teased, taking a few steps forward.

"Because I hate you!" Peter shouted. Skip took a step back and blinked.

"You ruined my fucking life! I hate you! I hate you! I hate you!" Peter screamed, slamming his closed fists into Skip's chest, pushing him back with each hit. Skip nodded slowly, his body slowly disappearing. Peter took in a shaky breath, and wrung his hands, glancing up at the team who were staring in open-mouthed shock. Peter had never told them about Skip. He turned back around and stopped, Ben.

"Ben." He breathed, but it wasn't the Ben he liked to remember. It was Ben the night he died, with blood-soaked into his clothes and his skin. And when he looked down at himself his front was covered in Blood, his hands dripping in it. He looked back up at Ben with his breath caught in his throat, his heart beating slowly and staggered.

"Peter. You, you killed me." Ben said angrily, pointing his blood dripping finger at Peter. Peter stepped back and shook his head.

"No. No. I didn't." He said softly. He closed his eyes and shook his head frantically, trying to wipe the blood onto his shirt.

"You did. If you hadn't been a coward and ran out of the apartment, if you hadn't have been a child I would have never died. I should have never jumped in front of that bullet for you." Ben shouted, Peter shook his head.

"I didn't kill you. I didn't pull the trigger. I was angry, and I was dumb, but I didn't kill you. At some point or another you would have died, and I sometimes I wish I could go back in him and save you, but I know that that's not possible." Peter said, voice shaking with tears. There were hundreds of times where Peter had been told these things, but until now he didn't believe them.

"I was and am a child, I yelled and I screamed, but I never meant for you to get hurt, or to die. Because I love you, but you're gone, and there's nothing I can do about that, and there's nothing that I can do to about that. I didn't kill you, Ben. I didn't kill you." Peter said softly. Ben straightened his back and nodded slowly, smiling softly at Peter. The blood was gone now.

"I love you too. My Benny baby." Ben said softly. Peter nodded slowly and wiped his nose. Ben slowly disappeared just like Skip, staring down at the floor, clenching and unclenching his fists. When he looked up again Tony was started back at him. He took a step back and looked down at himself, he was in the first Spider suit.

"What were you thinking! You could have been hurt! Someone else could have been hurt!" Tony shouted at him. Peter took a step back, opening and closing his mouth, he couldn't get the words out. The ferry incident, Peter couldn't count the number of times he'd lay awake at night thinking of his moment.

"If someone had gotten hurt that would have been on you! And if you got hurt, I feel like that's on me." Tony said, throwing his arms up in the air. Peter took another step back, his voice ringing around the room from his memories.

"I just wanted to be like you!" It echoed, ringing around the room sharply, making him wince.

"And I wanted you to be better." Tony said, stepping back, his body multiplying and stepping out of the original, circling around Peter and surrounding him. Wherever he looked there was Tony's face.

"You could never be more than a kid from queens! No one wants a neighbourhood spiderman!" Tony shouted, all of the voices echoing and overlapping. Peter turning slowly in a circle, his hands limp at his sides.

"You could never be an Avenger!" Tony shouted. And that seemed to crack Peters shocked resolve.

"Jokes on you I already am!" Peter shouted back. The Tony's stepped back for a moment. Peter knew Tony would never say these things, but Peter was adamant Fony was thinking those things.

"You're nothing, Peter Parker," Tony growled.

"I am something, Peter Benjamin Parker." Peter said firmly. The Tony's stepped back again.

"I could never think of you as my son. You're stupid to think of my as your father figure." Tony growled. Peter's mouth fell open, his eyes flickering to the shocked team ok the window. Tony was shaking his head in the window, and Peter wasn't sure if it was because he agreed or disagreed.

"So be it. You'll always be an important person in my life, someone who I look up to and taught me to be better." Peter said softly. The Tony's nodded slowly, moving back into the original.

"You did good kid." He said, disappearing. Peter stares at the wall, his eyes glassy and calculating. He wasn't sure what was next. The next thing he knew he was under something, rubble maybe, or scaffolding.

"Bye-bye Spiderman." A voice said, and it clicked, he was under the building and Toomes was there. Peter was face down staring at himself in the puddle, just like that night he couldn't breathe and he couldn't move. He reached up just enough to tear off the old suits mask, throwing the goggles as far as he could. He stared down at himself in the puddle, his own voice from his memories echoing ring in the room.

"I'm down here! Somebody help me! I'm, in dying! I can't breath!" Past him shouted. Peter stared himself down in the puddle.

"Come on Spiderman! Come on Spiderman!" Past time shouted again. This would be the moment Peter would push the building off of himself, but then again he wasn't there anymore. The puddle him laughed darkly, looking like a video clip glitching and lagging.

"You're never going to get out of here. You're never going to tell MJ you love her, and you're never going to be something." Puddle him said. Peter was silent for a moment, wincing when the rubble pressed into his ribs.

"I already am something. I'm on my way to being Valedictorian, I have a 5.0 GPA average, I'm interning with Tony fucking Stark, and I'm a fucking Avenger." Peter growled, lifting his stomach off of the ground, pushing the building up slowly.

"And MJ?" Puddle him asked quietly.

"I love her with all my heart, and she knows that. Because I told her." Peter said firmly. Puddle him nodded and offered him a shy smile, disappearing with the building once Peter was standing. He didn't bother looking up at the team, knowing he'd have a hell of a lot of explaining to do.

"Why did you leave me, Peter?" Whispered a voice from behind him. It was May, and if he strained his ears he could hear his adrenaline levels beeping rapidly in the monitor room. He turned slowly, taking a few steps back when May came into view.

"Why did you do what you did?" He asked.

"Oh, honey I just wanted to protect you, to keep you safe. You were a bad boy Peter, you needed to be punished." She said. Peter blinked away the tears in his eyes. Not only was this terrifying, but also humiliating. May reached and slowly unbuckled her belt, pulling it out and reading it. Peter was practically stuck to the floor, watching in horror as she took a few steps forward. She raised the belt, and swung it, Peter only just managed to block the guts to his face with his arms, crying out at the familiar pain.

It happened quickly, more hits to his arms a torso, and then the delivering kick to his legs forcing his knees to buckle, bringing him to his knees on the floor. His breathing was ragged as May grasped a hand full of his hair and pulled his head back with it, forcing him to look up at her.

"I just love you so much honey, and I don't want anyone to hurt you." She said. Peter knew this wasn't real, that this was a hologram, but it was so so so real.

"Then why did you?" He said hoarsely.

"Because I love you." She said. Peter couldn't help but laugh darkly.

"You don't love me. You never fucking loved me. Because of you, I don't have a home, I'm stuck in a group home because you couldn't admit that you never loved me and put me up for adoption. You never loved me, or cared about me, or were there for me." Peter spat, metal strong on his tongue. The fake May's face twisted, her grip on his hair loosening.

"You're right. I never loved you." She said, dropping peter hair, causing him to sprawl out of his back on the cold floor. He rolled into his front, raising onto his hands and knees, looking up at the window.

"Fear. Definitely fear." He said shakily. Even though they were holograms they left very very real injuries, cuts, raw skin, welts, bruises.

"Are you sure?" The SHIELD agent asked. Peter responded by throwing up on the floor, the concrete floor cutting into his palms. He was crying freely, spitting onto the floor and breathing raggedly, struggling to get oxygen into his lungs.

"Someone get me a new set of clothes." He said after a moment.

"On it Underoos."

—————————————————

After showering carefully, avoiding his already healing injuries and changing into his new set of clothes he sunk into the couch next to Bucky. He closed his eyes slowly, his Spiderman socks, (which Tony had gotten for him as a joke) his wash worn avengers pyjama pants and Star Wars shirt he'd stolen from Ned.

"So, are we gonna talk about what happened in there?" Steve asked hesitantly. Peter looked up at him and sighed.

"I kinda guess we have to, cause no ones gonna forget what happened in there." Peter mused, sinking into the couch and hugging himself slightly. Bucky got a blanket out of nowhere and handed it to Peter, who took it with a smile and wrapped himself up in it.

"How about we start with the first person." Natasha said. Peter nodded and stared down at the floor.

"Steven Westcott, but I called him Skip. He was my baby sitter, and he came over every time my aunt and uncle had late night shifts. He was um, well he was a child molester. He never, you know, did _that_ , but he was bad. He used to make me take my pants and underwear off and he'd make me open my mouth and he'd put his fingers in my mouth and he'd jerk off." Peter rambled, hugging himself tightly. The team listened in rapt silence. Peter sniffled, wiping his nose.

"I had nightmares for years after my aunt and uncle found out, and even after he went to prison. And I had nightmares about him coming back and even as I got older being able to overpower me and being able to do what he wanted even with my powers. So that thing with the hands was what I always used to dream about." Peter finished, wiping his nose again. The room was silent as the team took in this information, nodding slowly.

"Jesus Christ, we never knew. I can't believe we never knew." Bucky said from beside him, Peter just shrugged.

"I don't tell people, cause I still haven't really found a way to cope with it. For years I saw a therapist but you know, it's still hard when I get to that point with a person where we hug or sit next to each other or just touch in general, cause I can't help but think about him." Peter explained.

"I remember when we first met and I tried to hug you and you froze," Clint said slowly. Peter nodded. After a few beats of silence, Wanda spoke up.

"You need to know that what he did to you was never your fault, and that no matter what we love you." Natasha said firmly. Peter nodded and sniffled again.

"And the second, your uncle Ben?" She asked.

"Yeah. He, he didn't say all of those things the night he died, but those were the things I told myself, no matter how often people told me that those things weren't true. But I guess I didn't really believe them until today." Peter explained briefly, he huffed after a moment.

"I guess the blood being on my hands was a metaphor," Peter said quietly. Wanda nodded and leant back into her seat.

"It's good you know that, because you didn't kill him. And you were never in the wrong." Rhodey said. Peter nodded, his face heating up when he realised he had to talk about the third hologram.

"And the third?" Tony asked quietly. Peter stared down at his sock-covered feet in humiliation. He shrugged, not really sure what to say.

"Pete, it's fine, no one here is gonna judge you," Tony said gently. Peter hugged the blanket tighter around himself.

"When my parents died I didn't really have a dad or a father figure. Ben was never my dad, but he was the closest thing I had to a dad, he taught me how to tie my shoes and talk to girls and how to put on a belt, and then he was just _gone_. And then you came into my life, and when I was around you it didn't feel like when I was with Ben, it felt different, it felt like how I remember my bio dad. And I didn't really realise that I thought of you as a dad until the ferry incident. And I disappointed you because I jumped the gun, and I guess that was the worst thing about that." Peter paused to swallow thickly, staring down at his feet again.

"And even though you didn't say those things, I felt like that was what you were thinking them because I wanted you to be proud of me, and I wanted to feet praise form you cause you're the closest thing I've ever had to a dad. So that thing in the room, it was that overwhelming feeling of not being good enough, and that echo of the things you've said to me that have shaped me." Peter said quietly. He heard a small sniffing noise, wincing when he heard Tony shift in his seat.

"I've always been proud of you." Tony said softly, Peter snapped just head up to look at Tony in confusion. Tony has tears in his eyes as he looked at Peter in the eyes, his hands clasped on his lap.

"Look, I've never been good at this, and I've never wanted to be like my dad, and I hope I'm not. Because I'm so proud of you, you have somehow taken everything ever thrown at you and overcome it. And for a long time, I haven't told you what I've wanted to because I'm a fucking coward Pete, and you have always been so strong and so much more than good enough. And right now right here in front of all of our friends I'm going to tell you all of those things I'm too stupid not to have told you earlier." Tony paused so that he was facing Peter fully and leant forward so that Peter was forced to look at him.

"I am so proud of the young man you are and so proud of the man you are becoming. You are strong, and resilient, confident, kind and so much more then what you define yourself as. And what day on the ferry I realised that you were so much more than a teenager I took under my watch and provided with technology and support," Tony paused to wipe his eyes, "You're my kid Pete, you're my son." Tony finished. Peter was frozen on the couch, his mouth hanging open and eyes wide.

"Wow. I can't believe this is real." Peter breathed. Tony nodded and slowly moved so there was room on the single couch for Peter to sit. He pats the spot for Peter, making him roll his eyes and stand up slowly, waddling his way up to Tony and squishing next to him on the couch, Tony responded by cuddling him to his side.

"You're sure this is a hug? No car door or anything?" Peter teased, Tony rolled his eyes and pressed a kiss into Peter's curls. Peter was loving the attention, living in a group home meant he was severely touch starved.

"Shut it Underoos, just let me give you a cuddle," Tony said firmly. After several moments Buck broke the silence.

"The fourth hologram?" He asked, Peter, look up at him for a moment, sighing.

"Well, Tony knows about this, because he accessed the plane footage from the night, but I insisted that he didn't tell you what really happened with the Vulture. Long story short, while we were fighting I thought he was misfiring, but he was aiming for the support beams of the five-story warehouse. He got out in time, but I didn't, and the warehouse fell on me, the only part of my body I could move was my head and my right arm, and I was staring down at myself in this puddle as I pulled my mask off and suddenly I was just Peter Parker, not Spiderman." Peter swallowed thickly again, Tony held him tighter to his side.

"And," Peter let out a deep breath of air, "And I thought about letting the building crush me. But then I thought about how I would never be able to do all the things I wanted to do, and that I'd never be able to prove myself. And I told myself that I wasn't gonna let myself die there, and I didn't. But I keep thinking back to that time and thinking about what if I did die? What if I didn't get to experience the things I have since then? What if I did just gave up?" Peter said quietly, he heard multiple intakes of breaths, gasps and small crying noises.

"Well, we are so so so glad and grateful you are alive, and that you didn't give up." Tony said firmly from above him. Peter nodded slowly and sniffled again, hugging Tony around his waist.

"And last, your aunt May?" Natasha asked quietly. Peter hurried his face in Tony's side for a moment, his body bent at an impossible angle, which Tony was used to by now. Tony rubbed his back, even he didn't know what that one was all about, and knowing Peter he had never talked about it in an effort for people not to pity him and not to look down on him. Peter pulled back from his side and sniffled, fresh tears making their way down his face.

"I knew it was wrong what she was doing, but I didn't reach out cause I didn't have anywhere else to go. She'd been doing it for a long time, when Ben wasn't looking, or when he was on business trips or on night shifts. When he died it just meant she could do it without people catching her. And she was smart, always hurting me there no one could see. She only got caught cause the new neighbour called the police and they walked in on her using the belt, like in the hologram." Peter paused to wipe his tears away with his thumbs.

"And for a long time I convinced myself that she did love me and that it was my fault, but I guess I kinda realised she never did. And I guess it scared me that she never did care but it was so easy for her to pretend to." Peter explained, propping his chin up with his closed fist.

"You said something about a group home?" Steve asked through the silence of the living room. Peter nodded slowly.

"Yeah, May was my last chance so when she lost me I had nowhere else to go and got sent to a group home. It's okay there, but lonely, and if I mess up at all I get moved out of state. Like if I break the rules like come home late or do things without permission, or get suspended or a call from the school." Peter said dismissively.

"That's why your hours as Spiderman have dropped." Bucky said in understanding. Peter nodded and shrugged.

"But if it keeps me off the streets I don't think I mind," Peter said with a hum. Tony narrowed his eyes at him and shifted so he could see Peter's face.

"I could adopt you." Tony offered. Peter looked up at Tony with knitted eyebrows.

"You could what?!" He exclaimed, Tony shrugged.

"You heard me."


	58. Lipstick

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An-Peter and Harley are Tony's twin sons, Peter wants to go on the latest mission but Tony wants Peter to help Harley babysit the Avenger kids
> 
> Request from- @tessalucy (From wattpad)

"Come on! I'm ready for this! I'm ready for more!" Peter shouted. Tony just sighed and crossed his arms over his chest, Peter wasn't very intimidating when he was angry.

"No, you are not. Yes, you took down the Vulture and I am very proud of you for that, but you are not ready to work with the team on a high-class mission where there are multiple threats on your life." Tony said exasperatedly.

"But I've been training with the team for months!" Peter exclaimed, throwing his hands up in the air.

"Yes, and you can hold your ground and beat some of the strongest people on earth, but they don't have weapons specially made to kill mutants Pete," Tony explained calmly. Peter huffed and crosses his arms over his chest.

"I'm not a baby anymore dad." Peter huffed, sticking his bottom lip out in a pout. Tony rolled hiss eyes and waved a hand.

"I know Pete, I see it every day when you get taller or you have a new piercing or a new clothing style. Just this once please, for me, sit it out. You're sixteen kiddo, you already grow up too fast." Tony said softly, reaching to cup Peter's face in his hands. Peter's face softened and his nostrils flared with his heavy sigh, his shoulders relaxed and he nodded.

"Okay," Peter said finally. Tony nodded slowly, cracking a small smile.

"Okay. That's my boy. You and your brother are gonna be babysitting the team's kids. So basically Nate, Lila and Cassie. Cooper's gonna help you guys out cause you are all sixteen." Tony said with a small nod, he and a Clint both knew that Peter and Cooper had eyes for each other and hopefully they'd finally admit their feelings for each other and stop gossiping about each other with their parents.

"Oh no, please no, I'll do anything. Lila and Cassie said last time they'd put me in makeup." Peter pleaded. Tony shrugged.

"You'll look like a dime piece kiddo. No get goin'"

————————————————

"Peter! You stayed!" Cassie sang, running up to him and hugging him tightly around his middle. Peter cringed and nodded slowly, hugging Cassie back.

"I did! I wasn't allowed on the mission, but I don't mind cause I get to spend time with my favourite girls!" Peter shouted, lifting Cassie off of the ground and swinging her around. Cassie giggled when Peter put her down, running off and jumping on one of the many couches in the living room. Lila came running up and gave Peter her own bone-breaking hug.

"Oh, hi Lils, calm down you're gonna break my ribs." Peter wheezed. How Lila did that every time she hugged him he wasn't sure. Harley came sidling up to Peter once the girls ran off together and started whistling to each other.

"You have always been their favourite." Harley teased. Peter waved a hand and massaged his sore chest.

"They just think he's pretty," Cooper said, leaning his elbow on Peter's shoulder. Peter simultaneously loved and hated that Cooper was so much taller than him.

"Correction, you think he's pretty," Harley said with an unimpressed raised eyebrow. Cooper cocked his head and nodded.

"I do. I do." He said, Peter reddened and pushed the two boys off of himself and sat heavily on one of the couches. Harley and he were, of course, fraternal twins, but they looked enough alike that you could tell that they were brothers. 

"Peter! You promised last time that you'd let us do your makeup!" Lila shouted excitedly. Peter winced and turned to them, smiling tightly.

"I did. But you gotta promise me you'll make me look pretty Lils." Peter demanded firmly.

"You're always pretty," Cooper said, leaning over the back of the couch next to Peter and grinning as Lila raced off to get the supplies with LCassie. Peter just scoffed and waved a hand.

"You don't mean that." He said even though he was blushing madly at the comment.

"Oh but I do. You are extremely attractive Peter Stark." Cooper said firmly, standing up straight and walking off to sit next to Harley who was stifling his laughter. Peter rolled his eyes and crossed his arms over his chest.

"You're gonna look so great!" Cassie soothed, bouncing next to him on the couch and pulling Peter's face towards her and branding a bottle of foundation.

"You sure you know what you're doing?" Peter asked worriedly.

"Shh, magic happening," Cassie said firmly.

After a lot of squirming and complaining from Peter, Cassie and Lila deemed their masterpiece done, jumping off of the couch and dancing around the living room happily. Peter had one leg crossed over the other and his hands clasped around his knee, a deep frown on his face and eyes narrowed.

"I don't want to see myself." He said firmly. Harley rolled his eyes and jumped up from his seat, turning his camera around so Peter could see himself. Peter had to admit he did look good, but he wasn't gonna admit that.

"You look like every gay guy's wet dream bro." Harley snickered. Peter narrowed his eyes, okay, maybe he did understand the appeal of makeup.

"I do kind of like how it looks." He admitted. Harley grinned and brandished his phone, Cassie and Lila smiled smugly at him.

"Yes! We got him!" Lila shouted. Peter bristled and sighed.

"We're watching Star Wars. No exceptions. Sit on the couch." Peter said firmly. Cassie and Lila nodded with wide smiles and bounced onto a double couch. Cooper sidled in next to Peter and threw an arm around Peter's shoulders.

"Harley is right. You are definitely the subject of my wet dreams." He said, making kissy noises at Peter who made a groaning noise.

"Gross Coop! Be a gentleman for once in your life, for me." Peter teased. Cooper shrugged, pulling Peter closer to himself.

"Anything for you baby," Cooper said. Peter rolled his eyes and sunk into the couch, falling into their runtime of cuddling in the dark while Harley played around on his phone while Cassie and Lila fell asleep slowly. Peter sighed and turned to look at Cooper who was watching the movie with a soft smile.

"What are we?" Peter whispered so no one could hear him. Cooper turned to look him in the eyes.

"Huh?" Cooper asked, Peter reddened.

"Well, we flirt and cuddle and text all the time and video call for hours and we both obviously like each other, so, what are we?" Peter blurted out. He was surprised he actually had the courage to say that, he'd only told Harley and Tony about his massive crush on Cooper. Cooper blushed darkly and sighed.

"I really like you, Pete, like a lot. And we can be whatever you want to be." Cooper said gently. Peter's eyes flickered down to Cooper's lips, Cooper copying him.

"Boyfriends?" He whispered.

"Boyfriends." Cooper breathed back, leaning forward the last couple of centimetres and connecting their lips. They pulled apart when the lights suddenly turned back on the movie stopped.

"Ew! You guys were kissing! I knew it!" Lils shouted, sticking out her tongue.

"I got a photo! I got a photo!" Harley shouted, dancing around the living room. Peter groaned and hid his face in Cooper's neck. Harley was never gonna let this go, like ever. And just his luck he'd tell their mum and dad, who would also never let it go.

Hours later the team arrived back at the compound to find the kids cuddled up on couches with the lights turned on at a low setting so the kids wouldn't wake up. Cooper and Peter tucked into each other's arms like normal. Except for the lipstick from Peter's lips smeared on Cooper's lips.

"Aw man, Peter's gonna get makeup on my nice couches," Tony complained. Clint narrowed his eyes at Cooper's lips.

"More then your couches, he got it on my son's lips. I wonder how that happened." Clint said, cracking a wide grin. Tony almost tripped over his feet in his haste to get a look at the tow.

"No way! It finally happened?!" He whispers shouted. Clint nodded frantically.

"Halajula no more mutual pinning! Praise the lord they're finally dating!" Clint whisper shouted back. Natasha sidled up with an unimpressed look on her face.

"And now get ready for dates and flowers."


	59. Memories pt10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An-T'challa and Pepper

"Okay, so you pull the string when I say so and it'll let out the glitter," Shuri whispered. Peter nodded, his top few buttons undone and shoes off so he could stick tot he ceiling above the dining room. They both held their breath as Pepper, Tony and Romanda walked through the doors, T'challa lagging behind. 

"Now!" Shuri screamed after dropping the slime on T'challa. Peter pulled the string and the glitter came cascading down on T'challa and his nice dress robes, making Shuri and Peter giggle madly. 

"Really?" T'challa said after spitting a wad of glittery slime onto the floor. 

"I can't believe you've done this!" Peter and Shuri shouted together instinctively. And that's when Peter's feet lost their grip on the ceiling, his smile dropping his head hammering as he felt his body hitting the floor and the others screaming.

_"Mister T'challa, your majesty, black panther, sir."_

_"Cool, cool, cool, cool, cool, cool. I can't believe this is happening. Why? I just met the king of the most advanced nation of Earth and he's telling me to call him by his name."_

_"I'm going to faint now."_

_"So do you like cats?"_

_"Woah! No, no stay still I want to see how hard I have to hit your suit without it hitting me back."_

_"No! Get away with the peppermint! *Vague hissing noises*"_

_"No, do not do that. Ew, why are you making that face? No! I am not going to draw you in your black panther suit."_

_"What're those?!"_

_"No, you're, you're wearing sandals. Don't you get it?"_

_"SHURI I HATE YOUR BROTHER!"_

_"It's only glitter."_

When Peter came to he was lying on the floor with Tony and Pepper above him. His neck and back hurt like bitch and he winced when he tried to sit up. He gave up again and stayed on the floor. T'challa leaned over him and grinned sheepishly. 

"Should I be apologising?" T'challa said in amusement. Peter narrowed his eyes, poking him in the chest. 

"If you ever, and I mean ever either wear sandals in my presence again or put Peppermint in my drink I will do more then put glitter on you." Peter threatened. T'challa raised his hand in defeat and went to hug Peter who made a noise of disgust. 

"As much as I love you and care for you, nothing would compel me to hug you with that mess on you." Peter said, feigning disinterest but no one missed the way his voice wobbled. 

"Noted. I'll hug you after this has been cleaned off. I am thankful you remember me." T'challa said gently. Peter nodded his head, holding a hand to his forehead and making to stand up only for Pepper to push him back onto the floor.

"Hold it right there mister, you fell from the ceiling." Pepper said sternly. Peter didn't really have a choice as his mind started whirling, vaguely feeling Pepper tapping his cheek. 

_"Oh, hello Miss Potts, I'm here to see Mr Stark."_

_"Oh, hello again Miss Potts. Mr Stark sent me down here to get spare sheet metal."_

_"Oh, hello Miss Potts. Tony just went to go get coffee, I can give him the paperwork if you want when he gets back so you don't have to wait?"_

_"Hi Miss Potts, um, I kinda may have to ask for your advice... I want to get Tony something for fathers day... Do you think he would like something form me? Okay, thank Miss Potts."_

_"Thanks for your help setting this up Pepper, it really means a lot that Tony doesn't freak out."_

_"Uh, awkward question, completely hypothetical, what would happen if I thought of you as a mum?"_

_"Oh? You think of me as a son? Fabulous. Wonderful. Fantastic. I'm gonna pass out."_

_"Was that a dream? No? Great. Can we hug now?"_

_"You know what's weird, is I have a mum and a dad again. And now I'm crying again."_

_"Uh, um. Happy Mother's Day mum."_

_"No. I'm not crying. No. I do not need a hug. Wait no! I take that back!"_

_"Hey, mum! Look what I can do!"_

_"Never mind I unstuck."_

Peter suddenly sat up from his place on the floor, holding a hand to his forehead, he swore he could feel his brain literally throbbing through his skull. He could barely breathe, taking in massive gulps of air. 

"Okay. There you go. You're okay." Came Tony's voice through Peter's fuzzy hearing. Peter coughed for several minutes, Tony rubbing his back soothingly. When Peter's eyes found Pepper's he promptly launched himself into her arms, sobbing into her stomach. Pepper's eyes were wide for a moment before she wrapped her arms around his shoulders. 

"Oh." She breathed. Peter just sobbed harder into her stomach. 

"Okay, let's get you two off of the floor," Tony said gently, helping Pepper and Peter tot heir feet and steadying them easily. Peter pulled back from Pepper, clearly speechless. 

"I'm guessing you remembered me?" She asked, tears of her own gathering in her eyes as Peter nodded frantically. 

"I love you s-so much." He said, hugging her again. Pepper nodded, rubbing his back soothingly. 

"I love you too honey." Pepper breathed. After several minutes Peter pulled back and groaned, holding a hand to his forehead. 

"I feel like someone's bashed my head in." He said, wincing and covering his eyes from the light. 

"Well, I don't think you've ever remebered three people in one day." Pepper reasoned weakly, peter nodded tiredly, dropping his head onto her shoulder.

"Sorry to cut this short but I think we should be getting Peter back home. He'll pass out any minute." Tony said, gestured to peter who was now glued to Pepper's side, talking with her quietly, still crying. 

"No problem. Just make sure he comes back."


	60. All grown up

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An-Peter realises he looks like Ben now that he's grown up and has a breakdown

"Oh look at this one! That's me and Ben at my middle school graduation." Peter pointed to the photo. Peter had pulled out his old photo albums since May's funeral, and he'd pulled up the protector, filtering the photos through them.

"Wow, you look so different now," Steve said. Peter grinned a little.

"Yeah! I used to look like my dad as a kid but when I hit fourteen I looked way different. Can't tell who I look like now." Peter said, waving a hand absentmindedly.

"You look like Ben," Tony said. Peter rose an eyebrow, cocking his head. He flipped through the photo album, finding his high school graduation photo, pulling it out and comparing it to Ben. He blinked in surprise, his breathing stopping, eyes widening, tears gathering in his eyes, his hands shaking. He slammed the photo album shut, fumbling to turn the projector off, standing up shakily and rushing out of the room.

"Where are you going, Pete?" Bucky asked, Peter shook his head as he stumbled out of the room. He barely made it to his room before falling to the floor on his knees, looking down at his hands. Fuck, Tony was right, he looked like Ben. He always looked up in the mirror and stared at himself, thinking how he looked like someone but just couldn't put his finger on it. And fuck, he looked exactly like Ben. Down to the freckles across his cheeks and nose, his naturally crooked nose, his brown eyes speckled with green, cropped curly hair, tan skin, thin red lips.

He held a hand over his mouth and the other on the floor. He was frantically holding back whimpers, sobs and cries. He squeezed his eyes shut, tears rolling down his cheeks and spattering onto the floor. He didn't even register when his door opened and someone dropped on their knees next to Peter, pulling him into their side. Peter just cried harder, burying his face into the person's side. He pulled his hand away from his mouth, clutching frantically at the person's T-shirt, crying out futilely.

"Jesus Pete I didn't mean to upset you. I'm so sorry." Said Tony's voice. Peter's whole body automatically relaxed upon hearing his voice. Peter shook his head into Tony's ribs.

"I just, I just see him everywhere and he won't go away. And when I see him I see the night he died, and, and I just see everything I did wrong." Peter cried into Tony's ribs. Tony just held Peter tighter, swaying him on the floor and kissing his head.

"Pete, you did nothing wrong that night. No matter how many times you've replayed that night in your head, and thought of all the ways you could have changed it or made it different, you can't change what happened. And instead of trying to think of ways to change it, you need to know that you didn't kill him." Tony said firmly, Peter sniffled loudly.

"But I could've done something. Anything!" Peter cried. Tony shook his head.

"No, you did everything you could, I know that and deep down you know that too," Tony said firmly. Peter was frozen for a moment, his breathing quiet, hands clenching and unclenching. He nodded slowly into Tony's side, making him smile softly.

"Okay, good. Let's get you into bed, know how tired you are after crying." Tony said. Peter protested weakly into his side, before Tony shushed him and pulled him off of the floor.

"No. Sleep. Sit, I'll pull back the covers for you and get you nice and snug." Tony said firmly. Peter groaned but followed his directions, sliding his body under the covers and let Tony tuck him in. He rolled his eyes when Tony picked up the iron man plushy at the end of his bed and tucked it under the blankets next to Peter.

"Biased." Peter teased, Tony waved a hand and kissed peter forehead.

"I know. Goodnight kiddo."


	61. Prison break

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An-Tony is very curious why Peter doesn't talk about his parents, then he finds out that his father was murdered and that his mother is in prison

"Hey, kid? Why don't you ever talk about your parents?" Tony asked quietly. Peter looked up from his project, calmly placing the screwdriver he had been using down on the table. You would think Tony would know this kind of thing, but Tony was a very smart man, but also lazy. He didn't even need to look very far to find out about Spiderman, Peter and Tony had an agreement that Tony would snoop, or ask questions unless he was worried for Peter's safety. Peter sighed, knowing this was unavoidable.

"It's complicated," Peter answered vaguely, fiddling with one of the loose wires. He heard Tony sigh and slowly wheel over to Peter in his chair.

"Okay. Why's it complicated?" Tony asked hesitantly. Peter glanced up at him and sighed, shrugging his shoulders.

"It's a long story," Peter said quietly. Tony nodded slowly, wheeling until their knees were touching. Peter reached for his hand, which Tony automatically gave him. He knew Peter had this thing with touch.

"We have time," Tony said gently. Peter nodded slowly, he and Tony had briefly acknowledged the father-son bond they had and had adopted the use of dad and son.

"When my biological parents, my mum and dad got into that plane crash they survived, but they weren't meant to. I was five when they got into the plane crash, and then eight when Oscorp tried to kill them again. My mum and I were in the hall closet, hiding. And they shot him. The blood spilled under the door. But we had the camera footage, and witness reports, and confessions. Enough to take Oscorp down for good. But it didn't work, turns out if you have enough money you can get away with anything." Peter paused for a moment to swallow thickly. Tony stroked the top of Peter's hand softly, looking him in the eyes and nodding encouragingly.

"My mum led a protest, a really big one. And she got away, but they had her photo and address. She was arrested for Destruction if Property, defamation and violent protesting. She got twenty years. I was ten, when she got convicted. I didn't, I didn't even get to say goodbye. They just took her, and they didn't even let me say goodbye or hug her. I wasn't even allowed in the trial, just heard the news from May. I didn't see her for six months, and then I was getting cleared to visit her. But May and I can't always afford the gas so I don't see her for months at a time. Just letters and photos. That's it." Peter said softly. Tony nodded slowly, wiping the tears off of Peter's cheek. Peter didn't even know he'd started crying.

"And I don't really know how I feel about it. Angry, cause I just want my mum back, angry cause she was just trying to get justice for my dad. Sad, cause I don't get to come home and hug her, and tell her how my day was, and ask her how hers was. I don't get to have a normal life with my mum and that's all I want. That's all I've ever wanted." Peter said softly.

"Has she got a trail date for time of her sentence? Or to go free?" Tony asked gently, Peter nodded, a small smile on her face.

"Yeah. In two weeks on Sunday. May and I have been saving up for years for the best lawyer. We have a pretty good chance." Peter said, a smile growing on his face. Tony smiled back, patting Peter's hands, offering a tight squeeze.

"That's great Bambino, you going to the trial? You want me to come?" Toky asked.

"Yeah, I've got one of Ben's old suits out. But no, I wanna go alone. I'll call you with what happens after." Peter said, nodding his head.

"That's great kiddo. What days are visitation? Maybe I could get Happy to give you a drive."

—————————————————

"Who're you visiting kid?" Happy asked, signing his name nest to Peter's as permission for him to see an inmate. Peter was dressed in his nicest clothes, button-down, tie and slacks. He hadn't seen his mum in months and he wanted to look his best for her.

"My mum," Peter said quietly, signing his name also with a shaky hand. Happy just nodded his head, Peter had never talked about his mum.

"You want me to stay out here?" Happy asked, nodding his head to the guard waiting to lead them in. Peter looked up at him and smiled.

"I'll go alone please," Peter said, Happy nodded his head and sat in one of the chairs in the waiting room. Peter followed the guard with a small skip in his step. He sat in the seat that the guard pointed to, swinging his legs under the chair and propped his chin up on his hands.

"Peter?" Came his mother's voice from the doorway. Peter jumped up from his seat, staring his mother in the eyes as she ran forward, hugging him tightly. Peter buried his head in her shoulder, lifting her off the ground a little in his excitement. He spun her around for a moment before putting her down. She cupped his face in her hands for a moment before the guard said no touching. She rolled her eyes and hurriedly sat opposite Peter's seat.

"You're so different now." She said softly. Peter sniffled, wiping his face on his sleeve.

"Not really." He said softly. Mary chuckled, the last time she'd seen him was before he got his powers, so almost a year.

"Really? Your glasses are gone, you're taller, you're stronger and look at you, you're almost sixteen." She said, sniffling again and reaching for Peter's hand. Peter squeezed her hand. They were silent for several moments, eyes flickering over each other's faces.

"I missed you, mum," Peter said quietly.

"I missed you too. Your letters have been the only thing keeping me sane in here until the trial." She said softly. Peter nodded his head, leaning down to kiss her hand softly.

"You got the one I sent last week then? With the photos?" Peter asked. Mary nodded her head fast, smiling wide.

"I did! That photo of you and Ned from a few months ago is my new favourite. I pinned it up in my bunk and everything. And that one with you sleeping at Stark Towers, with the iron man plushie." Mary said, smiling wide. Peter cringed, dusking his head and placing his forehead on the table.

"Tony lost his mind when he caught me there. He shows everyone that photo, like, everyone. I am not joking. He loves it. It's even in his lab, his lab mum, his lab." Peter said in exasperation. Mary chuckled.

"I would put it in my lab too. You're adorable in it, I can even tell you're snoring in it like you did when you were ten." Mary teased. Peter groaned.

"No! I am not adorable." He protested. Mary chuckled, kissing his head.

"Sure. You're a big strong man. But you're my big strong man who will never ever stop being adorable." Mary teased. Peter groaned again and looked up at her, his bottom lipstick out in a pout.

"You're are so lucky I love you so much," Peter muttered darkly. Mary chuckled, sniffling a little.

"I love you too." She said quietly. Peter nodded, staring at her for a few moments longer. 

"You can call him dad if you want." She said quietly. Peter's eyes widened, bulging out of his head, his mouth opening and closing. Mary waved her hand, rolling her eyes. 

"Pete, I'm not dumb. You talk about him the same way you talked about Ben and Richard. you love him, and he makes you happy. That's good enough for me kid." Mary said. Peter smiled softly and nodded his head. 

"You excited for the trial?"

\--------------------------------

"The demands have not been accepted by the Jury." Peter frowned at the rest, staring numbly at the jury member. The next thing he knew he was being pulled in a tight hug by his mother, who was being roughly pulled away from him and back to the cells. Peter cried and leaned over the barricade, only for the lawyer to pull him back.

Peter didn't even really know where he was going until he stepped into the lobby of Stark Towers. He'd followed the familiar footsteps, subway rides and flashing of cards until he found himself in the elevator.

"Where would you like to go to Mr Parker?" FRIDAY asked quietly. Peter took in a deep breath, closing his eyes.

"Where ever Tony is Fri." He said, his voice hoarse from crying and screaming so much. His tie was hanging loosely, his top button undone and blazer lopsided on his shoulders, hands in his slack pockets.

When he stepped out of the elevator he looked around and realised he was on the common room level, following the noise of the team to the living room, leaning against the doorframe. Tony jumped up from his seat and stared at Peter, who's eyes were red and puffy, he looked like a mess.

He hadn't even really interacted with the team that much, other than training sessions and sometimes after school when Tony wanted him in the common rooms, but they didn't know more about him than his name. And right now, he didn't think he was making a very good impression on them, standing there with his hands in his pockets, limp against the doorframe in Ben's old suit, fresh tears sliding down his cheeks.

"Jesus Christ you look like shit Pete, aren't you supposed to be at the trial?" Tony asked frantically. Peter nodded slowly, his face blank, void of emotion.

"Did, did she get let of? Is she free?" Toky asked. Peter shook his head no, raising his arm to dig his face into his elbow.

"Jesus kid you should be at home? Is May at the apartment?" Tony asked, rushing forward and pushing Peter into the nearest couch.

"She's at work. Didn't wanna be alone." Peter whispered, bringing his knees up to his chest, pushing off his nice shoes and dropping them to the floor and curling up on the couch. Tony nodded slowly, not sure if Peter could handle being touched right now. Peter suddenly pulled his elbow away from his face, wiping his eyes furiously, his face twisted in anger and frustration.

"We were so close! We were so sure it was gonna work but it didn't and she's going back to that horrible place! We were so close Tony!" Peter cried brokenly, his voice cracking mid-sentence, tears spilling out of his eyes. Tony shushed him, making to pull Peter into his side, Peter fighting weakly before finally going limp and letting Tony pull him into his chest.

"I just want her home. Just want her home." Peter pleaded, sobbing into Tony's side while Tony rocked him, sushing him as he rubbed his back. 

"And we're gonna get her back Bambino, I promise. But you gotta stay strong, for her kid. For her. Can you do that?" Tony asked, pulling Peter away and holding him by his shoulders. Peter nodded slowly, sniffling and wiping his nose.

"Okay, but first you need cuddles, jammies and a hot drink. Go upstairs to the penthouse, out of your nice suit and I'm giving you access to my closet just this once. We can watch Frozen two." Tony said firmly, Peter nodded and slid off of the couch, picking up his shoes before slinking off to the elevator. 

"What just happened?" Steve asked hesitantly. 

"Tony just pulled the dad card," Clint said pointing an accusing finger at Tony who rolled his eyes. 

"No shit birdbrain, I share custody of him. His bio mums in prison for things she didn't do and her trial was today and she's not off so she has another fifteen years. Peter, as you could see, was adamant she was getting off." Tony explained, picking up his phone from the coffee table. The team already knew about Peter being adopted by Tony after the homecoming fiasco. 

"You'll get her back."

\----------------------------------

"All charges read against Mary Parker are revoked with a three month probation period." The judge said. Mary gasped, covering her mouth with her hand, jumping up from her seat and whipping around to face Peter who had jumped out of his own seat. 

"You're coming home!" Peter cried, crying into her shoulder. 

"I am! I'm coming home! I'm coming home, Peter!" She cried. 

After a lot of crying, frantic hugging and congratulations Peter and Mary were outside Stark Towers holding hands. Peter swung their hands, a wide smile on his face as he took the first step forward. 

"You ready ma?" Peter asked, holding her hand tightly as he waved to the receptionist. 

"Who you brining up Pete?" Emily asked. Peter was extremely friendly with her after having to take paperwork down to her from Pepper and Tony. 

"My mum! Mr Stark knows she's coming cause I texted him," Peter said excitedly. 

"Alright, you're good to go. Just tell FRIDAY she's with you and we'll get her her own pass printed out as soon as possible." Emily said, waving Peter off as he dragged Mary into the elevator. 

"Calm down honey, you're gonna have an asthma attack," Mary said as the door opened. 

"You used to have asthma?" Clint said incredulously from the living room. 

"Used to?" Mary muttered confusedly. Peter waved a hand and dragged her further into the common room, toeing off his shoes on the way and leaving them in the doorway of the kitchen. 

"Tony hates it when I don't take my shoes off cause I always put my feet up on the couch," Peter said hurriedly. Mary nodded slowly, allowing Peter to drag her into the kitchen and push her into one of the chairs. He reddened as he opened the fridge. 

"I know it's not much, but I spent all night making it with Bucky. May has the night shift but we're gonna throw a pizza party tomorrow for you." Peter said quietly, pulling a double story cake on a pan out of the fridge and slowly putting it on the bench. Mary got up from her seat and hurried around the island, hugging Peter tightly, kissing his head. Peter wrapped his arms around her waist, burying his face in her shoulder. 

"You didn't have to do all of this Pete, you being here is good enough," Mary said, sniffling slightly. 

"Yes, I did. I've missed five of your birthdays. And you're back." Peter reasoned. Mary sniffled again and pulled back, turning towards the cake again. 

"I see your baking skills are still as bad as they were when you were a kid though," Mary said, Peter rolled his eyes and waved a hand of dismissal. 

"Yeah, no matter how much Bucky tried to fix it is just, yeah," Peter said sheepishly, pulling a candle out of nowhere and putting it in the top of the cake that was slowly leaning to the side. 

"Sounds like you," Mary said, kissing Peter's head again. After a moment of staring at the cake slowly fall onto the counter. 

"So when were you going to tell me that you're spiderman?"


	62. Immortal

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An-Peter is immortal, but it comes with a price

Peter watched the team with a soft sad smile, his book open on his lap. He'd be leaving again soon, he didn't want to get attached, or anyone to get attached to this Peter Parker. He hoped that no one would ever forget these ones. They were kind, and caring, brave, smart, heroes. But all things come to an end. He looked up at the elevator when the doors opened slowly, revealing the one man he had spent a lifetime running from. 

Peter smiled knowingly, closing his book with a soft slam, standing up from his seat, his expression full of bliss. He walked a few steps to the man, holding out his wrists for him. 

"I'm done running. I have spent a lifetime running from you, and I don't want to spend another running from someone else. I'm done." Peter said softly. The man, Fury, rose an eyebrow and nodded. He pushed Peter's wrists back down, his eyes flickering to the very confused team around Peter and Fury. 

"I came alone this time, like we said last time. Sit, it's time to explain." Fury said. Peter nodded slowly, walking the path back to his seat and falling into the seat, pushing the book onto the coffee table, Fury sat next to him naturally. Peter's eyes were glassy and misty, one leg crossed over the other, hands clasped together in his lap. 

"Peter, if that is his real name, is immortal. SHIELD noticed an anomaly, a man with the same description disappearing and reappearing every thirty years in different countries and continents. Simple jobs, lives, motives. Until Peter Parker, it was almost like he wanted to be found, to be stopped." Fury said, glancing at Peter, who had tears slowly rolling down his cheeks. 

"SHIELD tracked him down to a small apartment in Queens, he was surrounded but came out of the building unharmed. And he said to me, next time, if you come alone, I will come with you, and I will explain everything. And I waited until the whole team was here, including Loki, Thor and Stephen, because this man has seen it all." Fury said in explanation. Everyone turned to Peter, clearly dumbfounded. Before Tony could speak Peter held up his hand, closing his eyes, letting out a harsh breath of air. 

"Nick isn't lying," Peter said softly, Loki nodded in confirmation. 

"Indeed he is not, although your body has not aged, it is ancient and old." Loki said softly, Peter nodded slowly. 

"When? Why? How?" Tony blurted out, hurt clear in his tone. Peter's finger twitched at his tone, he'd heard it in many lifetimes. He looked up at the ceiling, he'd replayed that moment hundreds upon thousands of times over and over in his head. 

"I can't remember the day, but, it was ancient Egypt. We were experimenting with magic, like Loki's, except it was different. It was dark and sinister and not as easily controlled. We were using it to heal, and find a way to extend a life, but it, it lost control and lashed out, at me. I was as I look now, fifteen." Peter paused, scrubbing his hands over his face, wetting them with his tears. He let out a soft sigh, looking back at the team. 

"For a while it was amazing, being able to do things without consequence, fear of injury or death, being able to spend all the time learning the secrets of the universe, until it wasn't," Peter said softly. 

"But why wouldn't you tell anyone? So they could use it?" Steve asked, Peter looked up at Steve and narrowed his eyes. 

"You're a man out of time too. You know what it's like, to be in a time that isn't your own, to have to come to terms with that fact that you will never ever see anyone you love ever again. You got lucky with Bucky, he came back." Peter said quietly, Steve nodded. 

"But it can't be all bad," Natasha said. Peter let out a soft laugh, shaking his head. 

"I have seen great, powerful, unforgettable people be forgotten. I have had to watch as history repeated itself, as countries, people and the world destroyed themselves. I have had to watch as the world changed, and I changed with it. And yes, maybe knowing over three thousand languages, both dead and alive, being able to understand every known fact of the universe, being able to get hurt and heal momentarily is nice," Peter paused, looking down at his hands, tears pooling in his palms. 

"I have lost everyone and everything again, and again, and again, and again. I have lived hundreds and thousands of lives that never come to an end. I have loved, and loved, and loved, and loved, and loved, and loved, but never died." Peter said softly, looking up at the team, his eyes flickering around the room. 

"And if I could I would end it in a heartbeat, because I don't want to love and lose again. I want to grow old, start a family, to love without guilt. I want it to end, some way or another. I want to live with what I have, not with what I could have." Peter said. The room was silent for many moments. 

"But why?" Tony asked, Peter sighed softly. 

"Because my dear Tony," Peter paused, leaning back into the couch, "Immortality is not living forever, it is everyone else dying," Peter said quietly. Many times had he cared for people as much as he did in this room. 

"You love us then?" Natasha asked, Peter nodded slowly. 

"Yes, more then I have ever loved anyone. Ever."

\----------------------------

"You're sure you want this?" Stephen asked, Peter nodded slowly in response. He was on his knees in the middle of a circle of runes. Thor, Loki and Stephen surrounded him with his hands raised. 

"Yes. I want to be free." Peter said firmly. The three nodded. Light of all different colours flickered around the room, bursting out of Peter's skin and ricocheting around the room. Piercing deafening noise, and Peter hadn't even broken a sweat. Hands clenched, knees spread far apart, head thrown back, muscles taught, teeth bared and gritted. After many moments the three dropped their hands, Peter dropping onto his side. 

He was breathing heavily as he slowly sat up on shaky legs, looking down at his hands and turning them over so he was staring at his palms. There were small cuts on his hands from where his nails had pressed into his skin, but they weren't scabbing and healing over. Peter burst into tears, holding his palms up to his eyes. 

"Did it work?" Stephen asked frantically, rushing forward. Peter pulled his hands away, raising them into the air, blood dripping slowly down them. 

"Yes. Yes. It worked. It worked. It's blood. Stephen it's blood." Peter cried. Stephen dropped to his knees and took Peter's hands in his own. Peter was crying freely, a blissed-out smile on his face. 

"Thank you. Thank you."


	63. Promises

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An-When Tony goes to recruit Peter, he says he can't go because of the accords. Peter then asks tony for some much-needed help, resulting in the accords being disbanded and the Avengers coming back together
> 
> I cut out some of the dialogue from the meeting for the sake of the story
> 
> TW-Mentions of abuse, blood

"Why do you do what you do?" Tony asked, spinning in Peter's chair for show. Peter shifted awkwardly, looking down at his hands in his lap, fiddling with his fingers.

"When you can do the things I can do, and then the bad things happen, they happen because of you," Peter said softly. Tony nodded slowly, standing up from his seat and pushing Peter's leg of the bed to sit next to him.

"How would you feel about going to Germany?" Tony asked. Peter's response was just what he was looking for, honest, moral filled and modest. Peter froze next to him, May would kill him, and even if she did go he was sure his room would be destroyed for him once he got back.

"I can't go to Germany," Peter said firmly. Tony cocked his head, taking in Peter's stiff posture, shaky hands and pale face.

"Why's that?" Tony asked cautiously. Peter froze for a moment, gaze hard and calculating. Tony was surprised when Peter jumped up from the bed, staring at the door, listening for where May was and then yanking up the loose floorboard in the middle of his room, pulling it up and carefully pulling it on the floor.

Tony watched as he pulled out a Manila folder stuffed full of photos, and a camera. Peter gathered them in his lap, then put them on the bed, putting the floorboard back in his place before opening the folder, spreading the photos out in the bed messily, his breathing erratic.

"Because of this." He said, shoving several photos into Tony's hands. He took them with wide eyes. There were hundreds of photos. Photos of peter in the mirror with his shirt off, showing cuts, bruises, welts, bleeding noses, lips, fingers, broken bones. Somewhere his side was facing the mirror, arm raised with a wince on his face. Somewhere he had on just his boxers and t-shirt, exposing his legs, somewhere he was pulling down the top of his underwear to show belt welts. Tony's mouth opened and closed, eyes watering and stomach-churning at the sight of creamy white skin mangled and cut up, and yet Peter's skin was clear and free of scars and injuries.

"Advanced healing." He said breathlessly. Peter nodded slowly, pushing the photos back into the folder and placing the camera on top.

"Is, is it May? The one who's doing this?" Tony whispered, eyes flickering to the door. Peter followed his eyes, nodding slowly.

"Yes. Ever since Ben died when I was thirteen." Peter said softly. Tony nodded.

"Why don't you go to the police? Or the hospital? You have all the evidence you need." Toky asked frantically. Peter closed his eyes, fisting the fabric of his jeans in his hands, calming his breathing as best he could.

"Because if the accords," Peter said quietly, forcing his senses to concentrate on May's movement. She was sitting in the kitchen, drinking wine.

"Sorry, the accords?" Toky asked loudly. Peter pressed a hand over his mouth when he heard May get up from her seat, keeping it there as his breathing picked up, his chest heaving frantically.

"Because the accords state that if an enhanced is a victim of a crime or needs medical attention they have to go to SHIELD. The moment it's found out I'm enhanced doctors nurses or police officers are legally obligated to transfer me to SHIELD custody. I can't do anything without revealing my identity and I can't do that. I can't. I'm in danger here and I'm in danger there Mr Stark. I'm stuck, and I'm scared, Mr Stark." Peter whispered frantically. Tony nodded slowly, prying Peter's hand off his mouth.

"You mean you've been fixing everything she does to you on your own?!" He whisper shouted. Peter nodded, tears of fright spilling out of his eyes.

"Yes. I have to. No one knows. You're the first person I've ever told. Ever. You're the only person I can trust, who, who can help me. Please, Mr Stark, you have to help me." Peter pleaded, his voice low and frantic. Tony nodded slowly.

"I'll do everything I can. But you're gonna need to stay out for a while. I need to get rid of the accords and then help you. I'm gonna do everything in my power to help you Peter, everything. I promise, Peter I promise. I'm going to help you. I'm gonna use all of my Tony Stark resources to get you safe Peter." Tony promised firmly, reaching to wipe Peter's face hurriedly, holding Peter's face in his hands.

"You'd do that for me? Get rid of the accords?" Peter whispered. Tony nodded as fast as he could.

"They were a stupid idea, everyone tried to tell me that. But for you, they're gone. Zip, nada." Tony said firmly. Peter nodded slowly, picking up the folder and the camera.

"The folder has only printed photos, they're the original copies. On the camera SD card is two folders, one is videos. I set the camera up when I hear her coming and press play and then stop when she leaves. The second folder is the photos. The original photos. She's gonna find them if she goes through my room, it's a whole two years worth. Do whatever you need to, show them to whoever you need to." Peter said firmly. Tony nodded, tucking the folder into the pocket of his blazer and the camera in the other pocket.

"FRIDAY, I want you to set up serveylence everywhere around Peter's room and apartment. Peter, put this watch on your upper arm. When you press this button it will send an emergency alert to FRIDAY. She will tell me if something happens and I will be here as soon as I can. Promise me you'll press it when you need me. Promise me, Peter." Tony said firmly, Peter nodded slowly.

"I promise. I promise."

——————————————————

"I'm sorry you did what?!" T'challa asked angrily. Tony had his head in his hands, elbows on his knees, breathing steady and calm. 

"I am in the process of dissolving the accords." He said firmly. 

"Why?" Natasha asked suddenly. Tony looked up at her and sighed. 

"Because I realised how violating and wrong they are, how they deny mutants of their fundamental human rights. Have any of you actually read through every article? Every. Single. One? People like Cap, Bucky, Spiderman, Wanda, Pietro, all of them, they are denied basic freedoms purely based on their DNA." Tony said in exasperation. T'challa froze for a moment, processing what he'd said, nodding slowly and sitting. 

"Pardon me, but why the change of heart?" Vision asked. Tony looked up at him, his eyes flickering to the manila folder and the camera none of them had spared a glance. He'd spent the whole night looking at every single photo, getting FRIDAY to explain to him how they were inflicted. He hadn't had the heart to look through the videos yet. He slid off his couch and sat a the coffee table, opening the folder and spreading out the photos for them all to see. 

Peter's face was in nearly all of them, concentrated and looking down at the screen of the camera. Everyone picked up several photos, looking through them with matching stares of horror. 

"Who the fuck is this kid?" Rhodey breathed, Tony glanced at him before slowly pulling out the SD card from the camera with shaky hands. 

"Peter Parker, more formally, Spider-Man." He said, examining the SD card. 

"These aren't from patrol," Natasha said quietly. Tony nodded slowly, holding the SD card tightly in his hands. 

"No. They aren't. They're form his guardian, his last living blood relative." Tony said quietly.

"You mean he's not an adult?!" Rhodey asked incredulously. Tony nodded slowly. 

"Fifteen." He whispered. 

"But, this is more than enough evidence," T'challa said, examing more and more photos of Peter and his injuries. 

"Yes, but because of the accords, there's nothing he can do about it. It's been happening since he was thirteen, when the accords first started being made, by the time he had the evidence they were being pushed into the public. Legally, he can't be treated at a hospital or go to a police station. He has to go to SHIELD, but that puts him and Spider-Man in danger." Tony explained. 

"Then why are you telling us? Showing us?" Vison asked, staring down at one of the worst photos. Peter's whole back was covered in welts and blood dripping cuts. 

"Because he told me to show and tell whoever I needed to get him safe. And I promised him that I'd get him safe, because I can't look at that boy in the eyes and tell him there's nothing I can do. But I need your help and support if I'm going to do this." Tony said softly. Vision pulled the SD card from Tony's hands, having scanned it, wincing at its graphic content. 

"We will do everything in our power." He said firmly. Tony nodded, getting up from his knees, about to say something when FRIDAY interrupted. 

"Boss, Peter's life alert has been activated and my scanners show he is suffering from a traumatic head injury inflicted by a metal bat. If he is not treated within the next three hours he will die."

\----------------------------------

Tony sat next to Peter's bed holding his hand firmly. Peter had been moved to the compound after getting him steady, but he was still in the very early stages of waking up from his coma. The rogues had come back, but Tony hadn't seen them that much as he'd been with Peter for almost all the time he'd been at the compound. 

Cho said that he'd start by twitching, small movements and talking, the first few times he woke up he'd be disorientated, confused, not sure where or when he was and his mental state would seem to have regressed. 

Tony snapped awake when the heart monitor beeping sped up, Peter's head shaking back and forth slowly, his face scrunching up, fingers twitching and letting out small whining noises. Tony jumped up from his seat when Peter's eyes opened halfway. Peter's hand felt around on the bed, clearly trying to find something.

"Where's Mr Moo Bear?" Peter slurred, Tony rose an eyebrow. 

"Where's who, Pete?" Tony asked gently. Peter's eyes closed again, fingers fisting the sheets of the hospital bed in his hands. 

"Mr Moo Bear, kept him under the tiles in the bathroom," Peter said. Tony's eyes lit up, he'd become his guardian since May was convicted, and he'd had FRIDAY scan the apartment for anything Peter had hidden like the photos and the camera, finding a large teddy bear, around the same size as Tony's arm. He was pretty sure it was a prize at a carnival that Peter had one. 

"I'll go get it from your room buddy, I'll be right back," Tony reassured, stepping out of the room, closing the door softly and getting inside the already waiting elevator. When he got to the common room floor and almost tripped in his haste to get to Peter's room, which was right next to Natasha's. 

"Tony! I've been meaning to talk to you but I haven't been able to find you." Steve said, running out of the living room after Tony who was slamming open Peter's new room, pulling back the covers and hurriedly picking up Mr Moo Bear. Steve rose an eyebrow at the room, covered in Star Wars, Avengers, and other posters, action figures and drawings. 

"Tony, who's room is this?" Steve asked quietly. Tony pushed him out of the room and closed the door behind him, propping Mr Moo Bear on his hip safety. 

"I'll explain later. Busy, need to get this teddy bear down to a very grumpy comatose teenager." Tony blurted out, running into the still waiting elevator before Steve or any of the rest of the team could get a word in. 

He ran into the medical room, brandishing Mr Moo Bear at Peter, who grinned tiredly up at the teddy bear, making small grabie hands. 

"There you go Underoos, Mr Moo Bear safe and sound. I'm gonna step out of the room now." Tony said to an already knocked out Peter. Tony waited a few moments until the heart monitor went back to its normal state, and telling FRIDAY to alert him if there were any changes in Peter's vitals. 

He sluggishly made his way back up to the common room, making an immediate B-Line for the coffee machine, waving a hand at the waiting time. 

"Coffee first. Not slept in forty hours." Tony said firmly, pulling out his iron man mug with a small smile and pouring a very strong cup of coffee. 

"How is he?" Rhodey asked, Tony glanced at them and sighed. 

"He just woke up for a few minutes. Hands and face were moving, and he was speaking pretty good. Wanted his teddy bear that I found under the tiles in the bathroom at the apartment." Tony explained briefly, Rhodey nodded slowly.

"Will he wake up soon?" Natasha asked. Tony glanced at her, she and Tony had been the only ones able to look at Peter without gagging. His head was covered in bandages and his body was still heavily bruised.

"Most likely. His advanced healing is the only thing keeping him asleep. It's like stasis, so when his body receives too much damage it shuts down and heals slower and more thoroughly then if he were awake." Tony said, taking a long sip of his coffee. Natasha nodded, getting her own mug down and pouring a cup.

"Sorry, but why is there a comatose teenager in your compound?" Clint asked incredulously.

"Does this have anything to do with why you dissolved the accords?" Steve cut in. Tony nodded slowly, stroking his jaw in his hand.

"Who is he?" Sam asked, Peter looked up at him and sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"Peter Parker, or Spiderman. He's a mutant. Like Steve and Bucky but his DNA is merged with a spider. When I went to recruit him he said he couldn't join my team because of the accords, and of course, I was confused. But then he showed me these photos, hundreds and hundreds of them. When his uncle died his aunt started hurting him, whipping him, belting him, burning him, hitting him, but he couldn't go to the police or a professional to help him because if they found out that's he's a mutant he had to go to SHIELD, but his identity was what kept him safe, kept his friends safe. Even with two years of photos and videos, he couldn't do anything. And I promised to help him, because it's my fault he's hurt, and it's my fault he kept getting hurt." Tony explained, hands clenching around his mug of coffee.

"How is it your fault?" Wanda asked, Tony glanced up at her, then back into his mug of coffee.

"Had I not made those accords, had I listened to you, he wouldn't be in medical in a coma with his head caved in," Tony said softly.

"But you didn't make them, or write them," Scott said. Tony looked him in the eyes and shook his head.

"Maybe, but I approved them without reading them because I trusted. That's fault enough." Tony said firmly.

"Tony. You didn't do that to him. You didn't put him in the bed. You didn't use that bat. You've sat by his bed since the moment he came to the compound." Rhodey said, Tony nodded slowly, drinking from his mug again.

"We sit with him too if you want. While he wakes up. You can get some sleep, eat something, drink something." Steve said suddenly. Tony made to protest but Rhodey cut him off.

"You aren't going to be any use to Peter as a familiar face when he wakes up if you can barely keep your head up."

——————————————————

"Boss, Captain Rogers is reporting that Mr Parker's heart rate is returning to its normal rate and that he is experiencing strong body movements," FRIDAY said overhead. Tony's head snapped up from his book, dropping it to the floor and jumping up from his bed, racing out of the room and to the waiting elevator. He slammed open the medical room door, running up to Peter's bed, which had the entire teams surrounding it. 

Peter was mumbling something, his heart rate returning to normal, head shaking back and forth, hands twitching and legs kicking. Tony rushed up to the bed, taking Peter's hand in his own and sitting in the available seat. 

"Peter? Can you hear me?" Tony asked. Peter's eyes slowly opened in response, the remaining bruises and swelling disappearing before his eyes. 

"M'ter 'Tark?" Peter slurred. Tony nodded frantically. 

"Yeah! It's me kid, it's me. You comin' back to us?" Tony asked encouragingly. Peter groaned, blinking rapidly before raising an eyebrow. 

"Depends on where I was," Peter mumbled. Tony chuckled and nodded his head. 

"And that depends on what you remember last," Tony said, his gleeful smile dropping. Peter looked up at him with narrowed eyes. 

"Had a fight with May, she was angry. She picked up Ben's old baseball bat and that's the last thing I remember." Peter said softly. Tony nodded slowly, sinking into his seat. 

"Yeah, you got a traumatic head injury, and I hate to be the one to break it to you but your head is permanently disfigured. You fell into a coma so your body could heal. You only woke up once, other than that you were mumbling or twitching." Tony explained. Peter nodded, suddenly looking down at Mr Moo Bear, who was pressed against his side. 

"Is that where Mr Moo Bear came from?" Peter asked, face burning in humiliation. Tony chuckled a little, slightly off-put by Peter's lack of response about his head. 

"Yeah, you were very grumpy and I thought you were gonna cry," Tony said. Peter nodded slowly, playing with Mr Moo Bear's arm with his free hand, face screwed up, tears gathering in his eyes. He looked up suddenly at Tony, the tears breaking free from his eyes. 

"You kept your promise." He said quietly. Tony's breathing stopped as he smiled softly. 

"I don't break them that often," Tony said back. Peter nodded slowly, squeezing Tony's hand in his own. 

"And May?" He asked shakily. Tony smiled down at Peter. 

"Convicted of child abuse and endangerment of a minor. She's going away for a very very long time." Tony confirmed. 

"And the Accords?" Peter pressed. 

"Dissolved. You got the Avengers back together." Tony said, getting a few stifled laughs from the team. Peter was silent for a long moment, his eyes flickering around Tony's face.

"And me?" He whispered. Tony's smile faltered again, sweat dripping down the back of his neck. 

"You're staying here, or at the tower." He said. 

"Why?" Peter asked quietly, confusion ridden across his face, brow furrowed, eyes shining insecurity. 

"I adopted you," Tony said finally. He was almost knocked out of his chair with the force of the hug Peter gave him. It took his brain a few moments to come back online, wrapping his arms around the crying teenager in his lap. 

"Careful, your heads still healing." Tony teased. Peter responded by breaking into a fit of sobs. 

"We'll leave you two," Natasha whispered, waving the team up and out of the room.

"That would be good."


	64. Red ribbon

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An-Peter is diagnosed with HIV, the team finds out
> 
> TW-Mentions/descriptions of rape

"Jesus Pete, what the fuck happened?" Tony said as Peter stepped out of the elevator. Peter didn't even look up at him, taking a few slow steps towards his room. 

"Shit, is that blood?!" Bucky exclaimed suddenly, pointing to the back of Peter's jeans, indeed stained wet with blood. Peter touched it hesitantly, staring down at it. 

"Yes," Peter said quietly. The room was silent, filled with the Avengers opening and closing their mouths at the sixteen-year-old Peter who had only gone to a party. 

"Is it yours?" Clint asked worriedly. Peter pinched his forefinger and thumb together, smearing the blood. 

"I think so." Peter said, voice wobbling dangerously. He took another step forward, his phone and wallet held tightly in his other hand not covered in blood. Tony caught his wrist, Peter looked up at him slowly, terror evident on his face, fear in his eyes, eyed wide and mouth opened slightly letting out harsh breaths of air. 

"Pete, what the fuck happened," Tony demanded firmly. Peter shook his head frantically, wrenching his wrist out of Tony's grasp, holding it tightly with his other hand, his phone and wallet having dropped to the floor. Tony's eyes widened when he saw the matching bruises shinning on Peter's wrists, purple and blue, handprints. Peter shook his head again, abandoning his phone and wallet, running off hurriedly to his room. Tony crouched and picked up Peter's phone and wallet. 

"Peter never lets his phone get cracked. He had a panic attack when it got cracked in Germany." Tony muttered, rotating the phone in his hand, who's screen was covered in cracks, glass falling to the floor. 

"And did you see the bruises? It was like someone held him down." Clint asked, Tony nodded slowly. 

"And the blood. There was so much."

\-------------------------------------

"Oh, Peter, I wasn't expecting you. What's up?" Bruce said in surprise. Peter nodded his head slowly, his back pressed against the door. He continued nodding to himself as he hurriedly closed the blinds in Bruce's lab, closing them off from view. Bruce watched with a raised eyebrow, no one had seen Peter in weeks, hiding himself away in his room, leaving for school far too early in the morning and coming back just before dark. 

He'd even managed to get his phone and wallet back from Tony's room without even leaving evidence he'd left his room. When Peter walked toward the free wheely chair he had an obvious limp, wincing every few steps. 

"I need your help." Peter said quietly, avoiding Bruce's eyes as he sat down with a flinch. 

"Why mine?" Bruce asked curiously. 

"Cause I didn't know who else to go to. And you gotta promise that you won't tell anyone." Peter pleaded, desperation bleeding into his voice. Bruce nodded slowly, putting his glasses down on the table and pushing out from under it, wheeling closer to Peter. 

"Okay. Promise I won't tell anyone. You have my word." Bruce soothed. Peter nodded slowly, kneading his thighs roughly with his knuckles, looking down at his sock covered feet. 

"You know how I went to that party on Saturday? And I came back all messed up? Well, um, someone dropped something in my drink, and um, I can't remember it that well but um." Peter trailed off, glancing up at Bruce, tears gathering in the corners of his eyes. Bruce's mouth opened and closed, his hand stroking his chin. 

"Peter, are you saying what I'm thinking? That you were raped?" Bruce asked gently. Peter nodded slowly, wiping his face hurriedly. 

"Jesus, Pete, you need to go to the police," Bruce exclaimed. Peter's head snapped up, his head shaking frantically, hands waving in the air in front of himself. 

"No! No! I, I can't Doctor Banner. I can't." Peter countered. 

"Okay. Okay. This stays between us, but is there anything else that I can help with, other than being someone who will listen to you and talk with you?" Bruce asked gently, ducking his head so he could look Peter in the eyes, who nodded slowly. 

"Um, I thought my healing would take care of it, but um, be must have done it inside me because it's infected, down there." Peter explained messily. Bruce winced vividly.

"Do you have tearing? Any blood or discharge?" Bruce asked. Peter nodded his head slowly. 

"Okay, well I'll send up a request to your doctor in medical for a script of antibiotics specialised for your metabolism. Just make sure you don't touch anything down there as you could hurt yourself or make it worse. The doctor will explain everything else you, no questions asked. Now, I know you won't want to, but I'm sending in a referral for a phycologist that Tony and I have used a lot, just for one appointment and you can schedule more if you need or want to." Bruce said, clicking around on his computer for a moment before turning back to Peter. 

"Thank you, Doctor Banner." Peter said quietly. Bruce sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. 

"Just Bruce, Pete. One last thing, just to be safe I want to have you take some STI tests. If you have something we need to catch it now." Bruce said, Peter nodded slowly, following Bruce to the other side of the lab as he readied a machine. 

"Why did Tony put an STI testing machine in your lab?" Peter asked quietly, a smile tugging at his lips. 

"We both know Tony is over-prepared. Now, this is really easy, just a prick to the finger and it comes up with the results in a few minutes." Bruce explained gently. Peter nodded, letting Bruce take his hand and put it under the machine needle, flinching when it pierced his skin. Bruce smiled encouragingly, giving Peter his hand back. 

"There you go, you did perfect. Now, I need help with an equation, lucky you came down at the perfect time." Bruce said, waving Peter back over to his desk. 

Around an hour later Bruce stood up, taking the sheet of results and walking back over to Peter, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose, covering his mouth with his hand for a moment, glancing up at Peter who's face was pale, eyes narrowed and lips pressed into a thin line. 

"Peter, do, do you want to hold my hand or move somewhere else for this?" Bruce asked softly, Peter's eyes widened, grabbing for Bruce's hand, clammy and cold, shaking slightly. 

"Peter, you've tested positive for HIV." Bruce said softly. Peter's whole body drooped, eyes dulling, his hand limp in Bruce's grip. Peter nodded slowly, his eyes welling with tears, the dam not breaking as he collapsed bonelessly into Bruce's chest, gripping his shirt in his fists tightly. Bruce closed his eyes firmly, wrapping his arms around Peter' swaying them as Peter was frozen against him, silent and still. 

"You're gonna be okay. You're gonna be okay Pete."

\---------------------------

Peter stumbled into the kitchen, rubbing his eyes with his knuckles tiredly as he yawned, messing with his knotted messy hair. Tony threw him a look when he saw that Peter was shirtless and in only his Avengers pyjama pants. Peter stumbled around the kitchen, getting a glass of apple juice, ignoring Natasha and Wanda'a cooing. He messily pulled his medication out of the top drawer, putting them on the counter and opening the lids, pulling out his dosage and putting it next to the glass and taking them easily. 

He'd been doing much better since he'd been seeing his therapist, and since he was prescribed medication. He was glad it was summer though, it meant he had time to work on him and he was getting back into his old routine now. He was even going out as Spiderman at least once a day, and he'd been eating like normal again. 

"Pete, why do you take antidepressants?" Tony asked loudly from beside him, Tony picked up the other bottle, narrowing his eyes at it. 

"And anti-virals?" He asked, Peter flinched, tears coming to his eyes as he glanced as Bruce who looked equally as frantic and panicked. Peter took a deep breath as he slowly took the bottles from Tony, looking down at them and sighing.

"I've been seeing a therapist for almost a year. Because I have HIV. And because I have Depression." Peter said finally, pulling open the top draw again and putting the bottles back in their places, avoiding the eyes of the team. He didn't miss the intakes of breath, the gasps or the groans. 

"Jesus Christ, you had unprotected sex?" Steve asked incredulously. Peter winced, shaking his head slowly as he tipped out the leftover juice he felt too sick to drink now. 

"Not exactly." Peter said with gritted teeth. 

"Kid, you either had unprotected sex or you didn't." Clint drawled, Peter turned sharply, gripping the edge of the counter tightly. 

"Is that what you think?" Peter asked. Clint cocked his head. 

"Well what else coulda happened, you-" Clint was cut off by Peter who lept off the counter, leaning over the counter and pointing his finger in Clint's face. 

"I didn't choose to get roofied at my first high school party! I didn't choose to get dragged into a bedroom and fucking raped!" Peter screamed at him, his chest heaving. He threw his hands wildly up in the air. 

"I DIDN'T CHOSE TO REMEMBER HOW THAT FUCKING FELT! I DON'T CHOSE TO REMEMBER IT EVERY SINGLE TIME SOMEONE FUCKING TOUCHES ME! I DON'T CHOSE TO WAKE UP FROM NIGHTMARES FUCKING SCREAMING AND CRYING BECAUSE I CAN'T GO A NIGHT WITHOUT REMEMBERING IT!" Peter screamed at the top of his lungs. Peter's hair was messier then it was when he came into the kitchen, red in the face, creeping down his neck and chest. 

"And I didn't choose to get HIV. My whole fucking life is changed and all you can think of to ask me is, did you have unprotected sex? You have no idea how isolating that was, and how alone and inadequate I feel all the fucking time. Jesus fucking Christ." Peter seethed, running a hand through his hair and stomping towards the door of the kitchen. He flinched violently when Steve grabbing his arm, wrenching it out of his grip, reeling away from him, terror crossing his face. 

"Don't, don't fucking touch me." Peter whisered, running out of the room and to his bedroom, slamming the door hard. 

"You fucked up Birdbrain, and you're gonna fix it too."

\-------------------------------

"Happy day of HIV and AIDS awareness," Clint said softly, handing a red ribbon to Peter, who took it slowly, staring down at it. 

Clint was surprised when Peter's shoulders started shaking, hands trembling, his tears wetting the small ribbon in his hands. He looked up at Clint, grinning crookedly at him, surging forward and hugging Clint around his shoulders. 

"Thank you. Thank you."


	65. You are not a monster

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An-Peter's a dragon and HYDRA is mean
> 
> TW-mentions of torture, descriptions of pain and violence

"Is this how these missions normally go?" Peter struggled out between kicks, punches and body slams.

"Shut it kid, or I'm getting Karen to take control of the suit and swing you back home." Tony gritted our, shooting a HYDRA agent straight on the face. This really wasn't how this was supposed to go, but apparently the intel for a mostly abandoned HYDRA base was indeed not a mostly abandoned HUDRA base.

"You would dare. May would kill you." Peter said between laughs. Although Peter was very much considering dropping to the floor, his suit had so many holes in it he was pretty sure his underwear was showing, which was embarrassing because he was wearing iron man underwear.

"Hello, Spiderman." One of the agents said. Peter cocked his head, fighting his way to the agent, landing in front of him after multiple flips int eh air.

"Nice to meet you. I would shake your hand but I'm pretty sure you'll break it." Peter struggles out, kicking multiple other agents heading his way, knocking them out and bringing them to the floor.

"Oh we've met before, but you were only a baby. Your parents insisted we meet." The agent said, turning to see could keep eye contact with Peter. Peter, of course, knew who he was, his handler, who Peter had seen many many times.

"Sorry?" Peter asked, bring several more agents to the floor.

"How you holdin' up Underoos?!" Tony shouted to him.

"I'm fine Mister Stark! Just dealin' with a creep!" Peter shouted. There was a clear circle around the guy now who was chuckling quietly.

"I must say you've changed greatly. You're the freak your parents came up with aren't you?" He asked. Peter turned sharply, punching another agent clear in the face as he stared intently at the guy.

"How do you?" Peter started, trailing off.

"Your parents were SHIELD agents, although, that was back when SHIELD was HURDA. I fondly remember your parents begging for your protection. Remind me, Peter, what is your ailment?" The agent teased. Peter landed on the floor in front of him in his typical pose, the eyes of his mask narrowing.

"What the hell is he talking about kiddo?" Tony demanded. Peter paled under his mask, readying his fists.

"Shut your damn mouth. You even say their names and I'll kill you." Peter growled.

"Oh, I'll say all I want. Spider-Man's parents, Richard and Mary Parker. I had quite a fun time putting the bullets through their heads." He teased.

"Pete, your adrenaline levels are spiking. You need to calm it or nothing good is gonna happen." Tony soothed.

"Too late for that Mr Stark," Peter muttered, leaping into the air and landing a kick on the agent's chest, but he didn't even stumble with the force.

"Tut-tut Spiderman. Don't you want your little friends to know what's really wrong with you? More then that pesky little spider bite?" He twisted waggling his fingers at Peter who bared his teeth.

"Fuck you." Peter spat, knocking out several more agents, leaving barely any left.

"Oh, that's no language to use. I wonder what your parents would think Petey. What would they say?" The agent mused. Peter huffed, his heart hammering in his chest, ripping his mask off as his breathing became uneven. And Jesus he forgot how painful this was, leaving him on his hands and knees desperately clawing at his chest as growls tumbled inside his chest, smoke tumbling out of his open mouth and nose. If he did it more often it would be better but fuck.

"Don't. Don't. You fucking monster." Peter growled, slamming his fist against the floor.

"Really? Here I was thinking you were the monster." He teased. Peter coughed violently, flames pouring out of his mouth, flicking his fingertips.

"I'm not a monster." He growled, baring his teeth.

"If that's what you want to tell yourself." The agent teased, before Peter's resolve finally broke, scales blooming across his skin, eyes reddening, body changing, his clothes ripping.

Standing there infront of them was a blue and red dragon, scales glimmering in the sunlight, wings stretching above himself, head was thrown back in the air, nose letting out plumes of smoke, eyes blinking, claws scratching against the concrete and he roared in the agents face.

"There's the Peter Parker I know. Such an impressive specimen. And all I needed to do to get you angry enough and look at you. Oh don't snarl at me, you're harmless." The agent chided. Dragon Peter reeled back, roaring again before stomping the ground, kicking several agents fifty feet away from their spots. Dragon Peter roared again, stumbling when one of the agents threw something at him, cutting his wing hard enough to make him stumble, crushing the building Steve was trying to get explosives into.

"Oh, look at you." The agent chided. Peter roared, his eyes glowing through the dust in the air, ignoring the hook lodged in his wing, crushing the rest of the building as he messily stood up, fire kicking at his snout.

"Oh, you wouldn't dare. It was me who created you. Me who gave these amazing powers." The agent shouted. Dragon Peter loomed forward, readying back on his back feet and claws on his wings.

"Or would you? How far could I push you? Until you break. Until you _really_ do some damage." The agent said, stepping forward. Peter reared back, his back straightening, head tipped back in the air.

"What would I have to say? That you're worthless?" A pause, Peter bristling, wings shivering.

"Good for nothing? A nobody? A freak? A monster? No one will ever love you peter Parker. No one could ever love someone like you. No one. Nowhere. Ever." The agent sneered. He reeled back when Peter leant down, leaning down and roaring in the agents face, spittle flying everywhere.

"Oh. You've got a mouth on you, haven't you? But how about you do something real?" The agent sneered. Dragon Peter huffed, sitting back on the floor, staring defiantly at the agent.

"And here I was thinking you followed the rules. What about those rules we had? How about-" the agent was cut off by Peter huffing, swiping the agent with his claws, sending him flying across the field. Peter looked up shyly at the team, huffing when he saw the utterly destroyed building, the knocked out agents and very confused team.

"What just happened?" Steve asked quietly. Dragon Peter huffed again, eyes drooping, falling sideways into the floor on his side.

"Okay, well that's kind of cute. But uh, can you like change back? You aren't gonna fit in the plane." Tony said quietly. Peter huffed again, rumbling from deep in his chest, not sure if he had the energy.

"He could fly back himself." Clint fomented. Peter huffed unimpressed, closing his eyes and slowly transforming back, covering himself as best he could, blazing red.

"Does anyone have some pants?" Peter asked tiredly, slumping to the ground.

"Uh. Yeah. Sure kiddo. Uh, FRIDAY?" Tony asked, turning his back towards peter, the team following, stifling their laughter.

"Did anyone see the iron man underwear?"

——————————————————

Peter sat at the kitchen island, his arms sprawled out on the counter along with his cheek. Jesus, it was way too hot. He was ignoring the team plus Harley sitting around him, all of them bursting to ask questions. He really didn't know why Harley was still here, but he was. And normally Peter would be flustered with his shirt off and gym shorts around the entire Avengers, but honestly, they'd seen far too much.

"So. Iron man boxers?" Tony teased. Peter shot up from the counter, blushing so hard it seemed down his neck and chest.

"Shut up. May packed them." Peter grumbled.

"Oh, that's adorable. Your aunt still packs your suitcase." Natasha teased. Peter rolled his eyes and lay back down on the counter. He looked up when a hand came into view holding a dish towel with ice in it, he looked up to find Harley blushing madly.

"You look hot." He said. Peter blinked several times, not really sure what he meant. Harley opened and closed his mouth several times, waving his hand.

"I mean your skin! Not how you look!" Harley blurted. Peter took the dishtowel with a raised eyebrow, lucky he was already flushed so it didn't affect him.

"So. You're a dragon? Or something?" Bucky said. Peter narrowed his eyes down at the counter, picking at his nails as he pressed the dish towel to his neck.

"Not exactly." He said softly.

"So, what was that? Back there, with the agent." Clint asked hesitantly. Peter just lay back down on the counter, looking to the side at the wall.

"How much do you guys know about my parents?" Peter asked finally, tears burning in his eyes.

"That they're dead." Steve supplied. Peter sighed, closing his eyes.

"They were SHIELD agents, but that was when SHIELD was HYDRA, and my parents were doing genetic manipulation experiments. The only reason they did it was to protect me, as a baby. But when my parents refused to continue their research they took me and they did things, experiments, torture. Stuff like that. I almost died, when they implemented the DNA, from this old species. And they had these rules, and if I didn't follow them they'd hurt me. But I mean I don't really know what to call it, but I'd like to all scaly when my hormones spiked. Doesn't matter what hormone, but like when I'm happy, or sad, or angry, or scared. And usually, I can get it under control but that guy was my handler. I never went full lizard until he killed my parents." Peter swallowed thickly, wiping his nose.

"He wanted to see what I could really do. So he killed them. In front of me. I was eight, at the time. And I broke out. And I went and Ben and May. And we hid it because we didn't want me going back to HYDRA or SHIELD." Peter finished lamely.

"Does it hurt?" Harley asked softly.

"Only if I don't do it for a long time," Peter answered lamely.

"And how long since you'd done it? Fully, like today?" Bruce asked. Peter counted for a moment on his fingers.

"Six years. No open spaces big enough." Peter answered.

"Wow. At least you stopped Stevie havin' ta get that explosive in." Bucky chided, slapping Steve on the back.

"Good for him," Peter muttered darkly. He got up slowly from his seat, slamming the dishcloth down on the counter, flexing his glossy healing arm and leaving the room before tony or Harley could coax him back.

"Jesus. That kid gets more and more complicated."

——————————————————

Everyone was worried, Peter hasn't come out of his room, and they'd been hearing suspicious thumbs and growls from his room in the time he'd been missing. Harley had finally decided to knock on Peter's door firmly.

"Go away!" Came Peter's muffled shout from inside his room.

"Peter, I just wanna talk," Harley said gently.

"Go away Harley, don't wanna hurt you," Peter said softly from the other side of the door, Harley could hear him thump against the other side of the door.

"You could never hurt me, Peter. Never." Harley said firmly. He heard a choked off whimpering noise form the other side of the door.

"But I hurt people. Don' mean to Harls'. Can't help it. 'M a monster. Like he said. He was right." Peter cried desperately from the other side of the door. And god, Harley could feel the tears gathering in his eyes at Peter's words.

"You aren't a monster Pete. You could never be a monster." Harley said softly.

"You don' know what you're talkin' about," Peter said weakly from the other side of the door. Harley dropped to his knees on his side of the door, resting his palms and forehead against the door, closing his eyes.

"A monster doesn't call his aunt every day just to ask how her day was. A monster doesn't knit matching socks for his best friends. A monster doesn't make matching friendship bracelets for the entire team of Avengers. A monster doesn't cry when he hasn't gotten a hug all day. A monster doesn't cry because he's so cold in the winter that he has to wear six layers. A monster doesn't keep a paper copy of his timetable in his pocket in case he forgets his classes even though he's got a perfect memory." Harley cried desperately, tears dropping onto the floor.

"A monster doesn't stay the weekend just to take care of his family after a mission that went wrong. A monster doesn't wear ridiculous Avengers-themed underwear. A monster doesn't feel like you do. Because you aren't a monster peter Parker. You're the greatest person I've ever known." Hadley finished softly.

"You really think that?" Peter asked quietly from the other side of the door.

"Of course I do," Hadley said. Harley was surprised when the door burst open, Peter falling into him, hugging him fiercely.

And if tony walked past hours later to Peter and Harley asleep in Peter's doorway, then he wasn't going to say anything.

\-------------------------------------

"What's up Underoos? You look like you're going to burst." Tony said in amusement. Peter smiled shyly, looking around at the team sitting around the living room. 

"I want to show you guys something," Peter said slowly, sitting down next to Harley and dumping the pile of sheet metal he was holding onto the coffee table. 

"And why does this include stealing sheet metal from my lab? Don't think I haven't noticed." Tony said teasingly. Peter glanced up at him, grinning madly. 

"Well, that's part of the scaly stuff. Apparently I hoard, like a real dragon in fairytales. It was MJ who worked it out, because she walked into my room for the first time and said I act like a dragon with all of the tech and shiny metal around my room." Peter rambled, picking up one of the pieces of sheet metal. 

"Oh. Good to know." Tony said, leaning forward and watching Peter. 

"And what does that have to do with the sheet metal from Tony's lab?" Bucky asked curiously. Peter pushed further into the couch, leaning slightly into Harley who blushed darkly. Peter was a sucker for Harley because he was always cold compared to Peter being hot. 

"When I started working with tech and stuff I accidentally did his thing with my hands. Watch." Peter said with a small smile, the silver metal glowing bright red in his hands. He moulded it with his fingertips, smoothing it out and bending it. The team and Harley watched in awe as Peter moulded the metal in concentration, then making a small noise when he finished. It looked like an origami dog. He handed it to Tony who stared down at it in his hands.

"Wow." Tony breathed in shock. Peter giggled quickly, shaking his hands in the air lightly, it always felt weird. 

"Yep," Peter said. 

"That's why you're so fast in the lab. I just thought you were good with the soldering iron." Tony said. Peter giggled again and picked up another sheet of metal, moulding it like the other piece. 

"I can do lots of stuff with it. But Origami is the funnest. But, when I first started doing this I made things of people. I made May, I think she still has it somewhere in her room." Peter rambled, before finishing and handing off the tiny version of Harley off to the big version. 

"Woah, you even got my face in it. Cool." Harley praised, his eyes lighting up as he examined it. Peter grinned and curled up next to him on the couch. 

"Oh my god is that how you flirt?" Natasha cooed. Peter looked up at her, shaking his head frantically. 

"No! Definitely not! Ugh, it's how I say I love you I guess. I, oh my god this is so embarrassing. I don't know how else to say it because I instinctively hate saying it. Ew, I hate this. I don't know how to explain it but like, ugh, you're treasures? And I don't really know how to explain it but I guess it's dragon stuff? Human stuff confuses me cause I've had the DNA so much." Peter said, blazing red and hand fumbling together. 

"You love me?" Harley said quietly from beside him. Peter turned his head, shrugging wordlessly. 

"I think so. I mean, I don't really know what love means, but I'd go as far to say I tressure you?" Peter said awkwardly. Harley opened and closed his mouth for a moment before surging forward and kissing Peter on the lips. They separated after a moment, Peter opening and closing his mouth.

"I love you too dumbass." Harley blurted, blushing madly also. 

"Good to know," Peter said quietly. 

"Wow. I need to bleach my eyes." Tony said, rubbing his eyes with his knuckles. 

"Shut the fuck up Tony." Harley said, already taking Peter's hand and dragging him off of the couch and out of the room. 

"Bye I guess."


	66. Haunting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An-turns out Peter's a ghost
> 
> TW-blood, gore, angst, FEELS

"You shouldn't be here." A voice echoed around the apartment. Tony sighed, stepping further into the abandoned apartment. 

"I know, but I need your help," Tony said soothingly. 

"It's dangerous to ask for the help of a spirit." The voice said. Tony watched in fascination as a boy slowly floated through one of the walls, staring straight at Tony. 

"I know, but you aren't dangerous, are you? I've been watching you for a long time. You've been using your powers to help, to save. What if I told you that if you helped me you could save a lot of people?" Tony said gently. The boy, who through research of his past life had found his name to be Peter. 

"And what's in it for me?" Peter asked quietly, floating closer to Tony. 

"You get to stay here, in the abandoned apartment block and I'll make sure no one can knock the building down," Tony said. The boy narrowed his eyes. 

"It wasn't always abandoned." He said softly, waving his hand. Tony watched as the apartment slowly changed, holes in the wall mending, the dirt and grim disappearing until it looked like a normal modest apartment. He turned in circles as a copy of the boy and a middle-aged woman danced around the living room. He turned back to the boy in confusion. 

"That was me, before I died. And her, before she died. But she passed on. I didn't. If I help you, you promise me that no one but me steps foot in this building, and you have to help me pass on." Peter pleaded, the illusion fading until it was back to normal, causing Tony to have to step around holes in the floor. 

"If you help me, I'll do everything in my power to help you. I'll make sure this is a protected site." Tony said firmly, the boy nodded, his legs disappearing until it was just his torso and head. 

"Okay. I'll help you."

\----------------------------------------

"Mister Stark! I finally found something!" Peter shouted, running out of the elevator and into the penthouse house living room. He froze when he saw the rogues sitting there calmly on the couches. Peter promptly dropped the step of he was holding, causing it to shatter on the floor, seeping into the floor with wide eyes.

"What just happened?" Clint said suddenly.

"Why is there a shattered Stark pad on my floor?" Toky said from the doorway, clicking his tongue as he leant down and picked it up, rotating it in his hands.

"A kid ran in shouting about something he found and then fell through the floor?" Scott supplied confusedly. Tony sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose impatiently.

"FRI? What happened." Tony asked exasperatedly.

"Mr Parker was spooked," FRIDAY said. Tony groaned, standing back up.

"Peter, FRIDAY, what did we say about ghost puns?" Tony reprimanded.

"That's not the spirit Mr Stark." Peter teased, floating through the wall opposite Tony, only visible above the waist, arms crossed over his chest, red and blue mist below his waist.

"You know what. I don't know why I keep you around." Tony said, pointing a finger at Peter who giggled, diving at Tony and floating through him.

"Because I'm a joy! Anyway! I found something!" Peter said excitedly, taking the Stark pad from Tony's hands, mending it easily and brandishing the article.

"That's great kiddo, what's it about?" Tony asked, taking the fixed Stark pad, Peter covered it with his hands, his eyes finding the team.

"I think we have some explaining to do," Peter said shakily. Tony blinked, looking up at the very confused team.

"Spider-Man's a ghost?!" Sam asked incredulously.

"And this is why I don't like people." Peter drawled, closing his eyes so he became semi-solid again, falling from the air onto the waiting couch. Tony sighed and sat next to him.

"How? What? Huh?" Clint stuttered. Peter giggled, leaning back into the couch.

"I love this. Every time. How, I died, wasn't supposed to yet and didn't pass over. What, a ghost. Huh, mood. Hotel, Trivago." Peter said.

"How did you die?" Bucky asked suddenly. Peter's giggling stopped, his mouth closing slowly, he swallowed thickly.

"You don't have to answer if you don't want to Pete," Tony said gently, rubbing Peter's back.

"Tony knows then?" Steve asked. Peter looked up at him, shaking his head.

"No. Me Stark doesn't know. No one does, even if you look up my name it's drowned out by the articles about my parents." Peter said quietly. He hummed after a moment, swinging his legs slightly.

"When I got my powers when I was alive. I was bitten by this radioactive spider from Oscorp industries genetic research lab." Peter started.

"That company that shut down around ten years ago when they tried to manipulate human DNA?" Natasha asked. Peter nodded.

"You've been a ghost a decade?" Sam asked incredulously. Peter held up his hand for them to be quiet.

"I was sick, really really sick. It started with a fever and I thought it was just a reaction to a spider bite. But then I started throwing up. And my skin started peeling, and I was seeing blood. There was blood everywhere. And it hurt. More then anything's ever hurt. And then I was dead. Radiation poisoning. And I was in this limbo, where I kind of felt light and floaty. It was like I was wherever my body was. But no one could hear me, or see me. And I saw everyone at my funeral, and I'm not sure if I was supposed to see everything, because suddenly people could see me again. Could see how I looked when I died." Peter explained weakly.

"But you look normal," Wanda said. Peter nodded slowly.

"Yeah. Apparently illusions are my specialty. But I can't do them all the time. If I'm away from my tether then I can't use my powers." Peter explained.

"Your tether?" Wanda asked.

"Where I have the most memories. I'm tied to that place. Forever. I can leave it, but only for a certain amount of time. I have to go back there, to charge I guess." Peter explained.

"Wow. Ghosts are real." Steve breathed. Peter snorted.

"Yes and no. I'm not what you would call a ghost. I'm a typical a class haunting, but not aggressive unless you give me an incentive." Peter said weakly.

"Have you ever been aggressive? Or show people what you really look like?" Bucky asked. Peter shook his head.

"Yes and no. Once, when someone tried to knock down my tether. The apartment building where I grew up. Was nasty, there's a video of it on YouTube. But no, I've never shown someone what I really look like. Only small parts of it. But no, I haven't. Not even Mr Stark." Peter said softly, his fingertips fading until they weren't visible. Tony patted his shoulder.

"You're alright Underoos. No ones mad." Toky soothes softly. Peter nodded.

"'M gonna go back to queens. Don't wanna spook your friend Mr Stark." Peter said breathlessly, going transparent and floating off of the couch into the air, before disappearing with a pop.

"That happens a lot. Don't worry. He'll be back. He's just remembering something he doesn't like to, that's all." Tony explained.

"But his powers? As Spiderman?" Steve asked quietly.

"The radioactive nature of the spider venom caused his DNA to be altered. That's why he died. A ghost retains all of its abilities form before it passed to its afterlife." Tony said. Steve nodded slowly.

"What does he mean by passing?" Bucky asked. Tony winced, turning on the Stark pad and looking a the article which was talking about ghosts and their progress.

"The afterlife. He calls it home. Where his family is, where he's supposed to be. Sometimes, when he's not got energy and I have to take him back to queens myself, he's all loopy I guess. And he's in pain, great pain. And he says that sometimes he just feels empty and alone and afraid because he's dead, but not really. And he doesn't want to spend his afterlife in limbo, watching people he's grown to love to fade away just like him. When I recruited him he made me promise that I'd help him pass on." Tony said.

"But you love him?" Natasha asked. Tony looked up at her, nodding slowly.

"Yes. If only I had known him when he was alive. Because he's like my son. He spends most of his time here, so much that he told me he can feel his tether shifting." Tony said softly.

"Life doesn't last forever I guess," Natasha said. Tony chuckled, nodding his head.

"No. It doesn't."

—————————————————

"Could you stop that?!" Peter shouted, turning sharply and floating off of the ground, his eyes boring into Sam and Clint's.

"Why? It's not like you can feel it." Sam said. Tony's eyes widened, watching as peter floating towards them, his hair becoming messy, knotted and matted, his skin reddening slightly, fingertips dripping blood, skin caked with dried blood.

"Oh yeah! Let's throw books at Peter because he can't feel it!" Peter shouted. Looming in front of Clint and Sam.

"Ten points if you get it through his chest!" He shouted, thrusting his fist into Clint and Sam's chests.

"Fifty if you get it through his head!" He shouted again, thrusting his fists through Sam and Clint's heads.

"I didn't choose this! You have no idea what it's like! Watching the people you love fade away before your eyes, being powerful to stop it! You don't understand what it's like to wish it was all just a horrible dream! I JUST WANT TO GO HOME!" Peter screamed, his red and blue mist floating in the air.

"Pete, you gotta calm down. Or you'll hurt someone. You don't wanna hurt someone do you?" Tony asked gently, taking a few slow steps forward. Peter turned to him slowly, his hair returning slowly to normal, his skin becoming pale again, the blood seeping back into his skin and disappearing from the floor.

Peter's eyes were wide, his mouth opening and closing. He floated towards Tony, centimetres from his face.

"You know what? I don't know anymore." Peter said, sinking into the floor and not coming back out. Tony turned to Clint and Sam.

"Why would you do that? What insane thought made you think that was okay? Can't you see that he's been through enough? And you know what, this time I don't know if he's coming back!" Toky shouted desperately.

"They didn't mean to upset him Tony," Steve said gently. Tony shook his head.

"I don't care. Because I've never seen him that angry. And I don't even know if that was real anger. But I don't know if you can fix this." Toky said, pointing his finger at Sam and Clint. He turned sharply and stormed out of the room.

"I know where to find him."

\----------------------------------------

"GET. OUT." Peter shouted at the team standing in the living room of the apartment. The team winced, several copies on Peter's solid form surrounding them.

"We just want to apologise for how we've treated you," Steve said gently. The Peter's burst into laughter, echoing and lagging slightly, the sound not matching his movements. The Peter's loomed over the team, floating into the air around them.

"No one ever what's to apologise to poor little Peter Parker. No one cares about Peter Parker. So why do you? What's different about that you care about me?" The Peter's said, fading back into the one. They all froze, closing in on each other into a tight knot as the scene changed, like a daydream.

"You're worthless Parker!" A boy shouted, Peter limp on the floor, held up by a boy who punched him cleanly across the face, breaking his nose and knocking him out. It changed again back to the apartment, Peter throwing up on his bedroom floor, his hair missing in patches, skin red and peeling.

"Please. Someone help me. 'M dyin'" Past Peter pleaded into the open air. The scene changed again, they were at a funeral service, casket getting lowered into the ground with no one else there.

"No one cared about me when I was alive so why should they care when I'm dead right?!" Peter shouted, pushing Steve back forcefully. And Steve didn't know what to say as Peter rose into the air. Suddenly he wasn't the friendly Peter Parker they knew, his science pun T-shirt he'd died in shredding and dampening with blood, washed-out faded jeans looser and soaked in blood, scuffed converse rubbed and clawed at, hair missing, matted and damp with sweat and blood. His face was gaunt, skin melting from his face, showing his bones and flesh underneath.

"The world was wrong to treat you the way it did!" Natasha shouted. Peter laughed, throwing his head back as more bones became visible.

"You think I don't know what?! Do you think I don't wish I could rewrite everything? But it doesn't matter how the world treated me when I was alive, because it's treating me worse when I'm alive!" Peter shouted, throwing his arms up in the air desperately.

"I just want to go home! I DONT BELONG HERE!" Peter screamed, his voice echoing around the room.

"And you can go home. You just need to let go." Came Tony's voice from the doorway. Peter froze, turning to Tony, tears dripping out of his eyes.

"What?" He said softly.

"Your tether. You need to let it go." Tony answered softly. Peter looked confused and conflicted. Tony smiled softly up at him.

"What happened to my peter? Come back kid, I know you don't want to hurt anyone. You'd never forgive yourself." Tony said softly. They watched as the blood slowly faded, the clothing returning back to normal, and his body repairing before their eyes. Peter dropped to the floor, slightly transparent. He had never been totally solid, but he was always so close. But now, everyone had seen what he really looked like.

"I'm, I'm sorry, I didn't, I didn't mean to, I lost, lost control and-" Peter stuttered out, Tony rushed forward, catching Peter before he fell to the floor, holding him tightly.

"I know. I know Bambino I know. I know." Tony sorties, cradling Peter to his chest, running his hand through Peter's still damp hair.

"I just wanna go home. I just wanna go home." Peter pleaded, fisting Tony's shirt in his hands.

"I know Bambi, I know. But I found a way, you just need to let go." Tony said softly. Peter looked up at him, his face concentrated and calculating.

"I realised something, Mister Stark. My tether stopped being the apartment a long time ago, it became you. And I don't know if I can let you go." Peter said softly. Tony smiled down at him, holding Peter's face in his hands.

"I know you can. Cause I believe in you. You were always so much more than a kid to me, you were my kid. You are my kid. And no matter what you're always gonna be my kid. I'll visit you, in the graveyard. Every month. I promise." Tony said firmly. Peter smiled softly up at him, holding him tighter.

"I'm gonna miss you." He said softly into Tony's chest. Tony chuckled wryly, crying into Peter's hair.

"I'll miss you too." He said back. Peter looked up at him, hugging him as hard as he could.

"Goodbye, Mister Stark. I love you. And thank you." He said, tears seeping into his mouth as Tony nodded, kissing his forward and slowly letting him go. They all watched in wonder as peter was slowly engulfed by the familiar red mist, his eyes closing, falling limp as his body slowly turned into the mist, fading into the air.

But Tony was a mess, holding a hand over his mouth, muffling his sobs, tears gliding over his fingers and landing on the hardwood floors with soft patterns.

"He's not coming back." Tony cried.

"But he's home now," Natasha said gently, sinking to the floor next to Tony, following by the rest of the team, holding Tony as he held himself. 

And if the team heard soft laughter and peter's voice ringing in the tower they weren't going to say anything, because Tony didn't seem to mind.


	67. New friends pt2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An-Tony magnates to convince Laura and Clint to let Cooper and Lila move to school in New York, while Cooper moves to high school Peter and Lila are thirteen and in middle school. Flash is a dick
> 
> TW-Mentions of abuse, violence

"Bye kids! Cooper's gonna meet you guys right here after the final bell. Take care of Lila or Clint is gonna kill me. Hey, don't roll your eyes at me!" Tony exclaimed. Peter rolled his eyes and hugged Tony around his middle before taking his backpack from him. Tony rolled his eyes and pat his shoulder.

"Alright. Get. Love you, Pete." Toky said. Peter threw him a thumbs up before taking Lila's hand and dragging her off before Tony could protest.

"Peter! Your dads gonna kill you when you get home!" Lila exclaimed as Peter slowed down. He just shrugged his shoulders in response, leading her to her locker and doing jazz hands. Lila rolled her eyes and did the combination Peter was holding up on a slip of paper then putting her things in.

"Okay, where's you're locker Peter?" Lila asked, linking arms with Peter who grinned, leading her a few feet down the hallway, making fake trumpet noises and already opening his locker with more jazz hands. He pointed to a picture of Peter and Lila they'd taken last time at the farm.

"You kept the photo! Oh and look at the stickers." Lila said, kissing Peter's cheek making him chuckle and blaze red as he put his books away, leaving only his Spanish book.

"So you're the girlfriend," MJ said flatly from behind them. Lila and Peter turned as Peter closed his locker. Lila was slightly nervous while Peter just waved his hand dismissively, taking Lila's hand again.

"I think that's code for that's just MJ and she's mean?" MJ said, Peter clucked his tongue, pointing to her.

"See I know you so well." MJ said. Peter rolled his eyes and shrugged his shoulders.

"And that's code for no you don't. Nice to meet you I'm MJ, one of the only people who can put up with Peter's pop culture references and his annoying dad." MJ said, sticking her hand out for Lila to shake. Peter made a noise again, rolling his eyes.

"See I know that's code for my dads the greatest and my pop culture references are just superior." Lila said. Peter narrowed his eyes and threw his hands up in the air and then put them on his hips.

"See. I like you."

——————————————————

"I still can't believe I'm hanging out Tony Stark's son AND Hawkeye's daughter." Ned exclaimed. Peter giggled and opened his lunch box while Lila narrowed her eyes.

"He's not that great, he once shot through the front window and my mum put him on house arrest." Lila said. Peter snorted, making eye contact with Lila for a moment.

"The papercut?" She asked. Peter pointed to her and nodded.

"One time Peter got a papercut on his pinky finger and his dad took him to medical even though it was only bleeding a little. His dad started crying and asking if peter was gonna be okay." Lila said. Peter pointed to her, giggling quietly.

"What'd they do for it?" MJ asked, a hint of a smile on her face.

"Not even a bandaid, just a cotton swab. FRIDAY took photos of Peter's face and I swear he looked like he was gonna fall asleep he was so bored." Lila said. Peter made a face.

"See I know that's code for I just wanted to do my homework," Ned said. Peter pointed to him in confirmation, cocking his head when he saw Flash stand up from his seat.

"Aw man, incoming. Head down Lila, Flash can and will pick on you." Ned said. Peter nodded his head, taking her hand and pretending he wasn't trying to laugh.

"Got yourself a girlfriend Parker?" Flash sneered, Peter didn't even glance at Flash as he let out a sigh, poking at his packed lunch.

"Come on Parker, bite down. Grow some balls." Flashes aid. Peter finally looked up at Flash with narrowed eyes, shrugging his shoulders.

"That's code for your binary standard of masculinity bore me. Get lost Eugene." MJ sneered.

"How about you say it yourself, Parker. You gonna use that voice of yours or are you gonna sit and let a girl stand up for you." Flash said. That's when Peter jumped up from his seat, shoving Flash backwards.

"Peter it's fine. Sit down. Everyone's staring." Lila said, tugging on Peter's hand.

"You gonna listen to your girlfriend?" Flash sneered. Peter didn't move, his feet firmly planted on the ground.

"Oh? A soft spot? What if I have a go at her? What would you do then?" Flash asked, raising a hand to touch Lila only for his wrist to be caught by Peter's bruising grip.

"Not nice to touch a lady without her consent." Peter said quietly. Even Lila was surprised, it had been the longest sentence she'd ever heard Peter say. Even Flash was surprised, the whole cafeteria was listening in now as a grin slowly took over Flash's features.

"Yeah? Is that what your aunt told you?" Flash asked. And that made Peter's blood run cold, mouth opening and closing, hand dropping to his side lamely.

"That's what I thought. Not so brave anymore, are you? What're you gonna do Parker? Through one-liners around until you off yourself?" Peter took a step back, staring at flash wordlessly.

"Just like normal everyone's gonna leave you in the dust, no one gonna love you, and no one ever gonna care about you no matter what," Flash said. They saw it in slow motion as peter stood his ground, hand curling into a fist and hitting Flash across the face, breaking his nose cleanly.

" _Fuck you_."

———————————————————

"Where's Peter? Laura and I came as soon as we could when Lila called." Clint said urgently. Tony looked up, scrubbing his hands over his face.

"He went to his room as soon as he got home and he hasn't come out. Only Peter and the other kid got in trouble, Lila's fine." Tony reassured.

"I'm not worried about if they got in trouble I'm worried about peter. Lila said he looked like he was gonna cry and I've known Peter a whole year and I've never even seen him even step on a spider. You sure he's okay?" Clint asked worriedly.

"I'm not sure honestly. He's locked his door and reworked the lock so FRIDAY can't access it without his direct permission, and he hasn't come out in a couple of hours. And he flinched when I went to put my hand on his shoulder, and he hasn't done that since we first brought him home." Toky said, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"Lila said she had to pull him out of a panic attack after he punched that asshole." Clint said solemnly.

"I'll go talk to him," Toky said quietly, already pulling off his blazer and walking to Peter's room and knocking on the door.

"Peter buddy? Can I come in?" Tony asked softly through the door. He smiled to himself when the lock clicked open and the door opened slowly. Peter was sitting on the edge of his bed, the fabric of his pants fisted in his hands, staring at the wall opposite him, his room acutely tidy like it always was.

"When am I going back?" Peter asked quietly. Tony rose an eyebrow, sitting gently next to Peter on the bed. Tony was used to Peter only talking to him or Pepper, but usually, he wasn't this calm or collected when he talked.

"Where? School? Sorry to break it to you kid but you're suspended." Tony said gently. Peter glanced at him with an unreadable look on his face.

"No, the orphanage. You're sending me back aren't you?" Peter asked quietly.

"What? Why would we do that?" Toky asked on confusion.

"I was bad." Peter said with a small shrug. Tony sighed, putting his knee up on the bed so he was facing Peter.

"Pete, yes, what you did was bad, you shouldn't have resorted to violence but you only did it because he upset you, and he was gonna hit your girlfriend. You did a bad thing for the right reasons." Tony said gently.

"I didn't mean to hurt him. I just got angry and, and I didn't, I didn't even realise I hit him until Ned stood up and." Peter stopped short, his breathing slightly uneven as his hands stilled.

"Pete it's okay, I am not mad at you. You're mums not even mad, she wants that kid to change classes and lunch periods so he can't mess with you again." Tony said firmly. Suddenly Peter was crying, tears wetting his jeans and lips pressed into a thin line so he couldn't let out any noises.

"Why're you crying kiddo?" Tony asked. Peter shook his head, wiping his nose with his sleeve.

"I don't wanna be like her," Peter whispered.

"Like who Pete?" Tony asked.

"Like her. May." Peter said quietly. Tony's breathing just about stopped, Peter's last guardian.

"Peter you could never ever be like her. You're too different. You're everything she's not." Tony said, putting his hand gently on Peter's shoulder.

"But I was today." He countered.

"Peter no. You weren't." Toky said firmly. Peter shook his head again.

"But I was! I got angry and I hurt him because I was angry! And she used to do that! When I did something I shouldn't have or cause I said something and she'd hurt me! And I did that to him! I'm just like her! She was right about everything!" Peter cried, looking up at Tony, his face screwed up.

"Pete, she didn't have a reason to hurt you. Not a good one. You had a good reason, he was making fun of you and your friends." Tony said firmly. Peter stiffened, seeming to have accepted the fact.

"He said no one would ever love me. Or that anyone will ever care." Peter said softly.

"Pete I love you. And your mum loves you. And I'm pretty sure Lila loves you." Tony countered.

"She does not," Peter said. Tony cracked a grin, looking up at the ceiling.

"FRIDAY could you please get Lila to-" Tony was cut off by peter tackling him.

"Do not finish that sentence!" Peter shouted, completely red in the face.

"Okay. Okay. Just calm it, Pete." Tony soothed. Peter huffed, sliding off of Tony and crossing his arms over his chest.

"You're mean," Peter said. Tony grinned, sitting up.

"Okay. Well. Now that you're feeling better do you want to have a movie night?" Toky asked. Peter narrowed his eyes before groaning and standing up.

"Fine," Peter said defiantly.

"Good. But I mean it, kid, I really do love you. So much. No come on, if we try we might be able to convince the team to watch Harry Potter." Tony teased, throwing his arm around Peter's shoulders.

"You think so?" Peter asked hopefully.

"Peter! You're okay!" Lila shouted once they got to the living room. She ran forward and crashed into Peter so hard he fell to the floor with her on top of him.

"I think you just gave me a concussion." He said quietly. Lila rolled her eyes and got up off of peter, helping him off the floor.

"Really? That's the first thing you say?" Lila said. Peter shrugged lamely.

"What else am I supposed to say?" Peter asked incredulously.

"You see, not changed at all. He still doesn't know how to talk to girls!" Clint whisper shouted to Tony who shrugged.

"Eh. He got it from me."


	68. Inhaler

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An-Harley helps Peter when he gets beaten up, thus a blossoming relationship forms. And Tony is way too overprotective
> 
> Peter be blind in one eye

"Oh hey, Keener. You here to get your turn with the fag?" Flash sneered.

"What the hell are you talking about?" Harley asked tiredly. He just wanted to take a pee and go home to the tower.

"You know, Parker. The freak with one eye. He had it comin'." Flash said proudly. Harley's face contorted.

"Jesus man you beat up a disabled kid?! Get the fuck outa here man. I mean it, get!" Harley shouted, shoving flash hard. Flash blinked several times before turning and running down the hall. He walked into the bathroom hesitantly, acutely aware of the blood-spattered on the bathroom stalls and smeared on the floor.

"Parker? Are you still in here?" Harley asked the open are. He was met by a quiet crying noise, he sighed as he stepped closer to the noise, opening the last stall and cringing when he saw peter curled up on his side on the cold tiles. His face was covered in blood and his hand was pressed over his left eye that no one had ever seen.

He wore these funny glssss, the left eye blocked out black and the other clear. He didn't actually need glasses, but they covered up his left eye, which he was blind in.

"Jesus Christ, the fuck did that guy do to you?" Harley said, dropping to his knees, raising his hands, not sure what to do with them. Peter curled up tighter.

"You gonna got me too?" He asked weakly.

"Jesus no, I wanna help. Shit, can you sit up so I can help clean you up?" Harley asked gently. Peter peeked up at him and slowly sat up, holding his chest.

"What hurts?" Harley asked frantically, picking up on Peter's breathing.

"Don't worry, I'm not dying. Just my asthma. He only hit my face. He's never more imaginative than that. Other than the locker slamming, which I do not recommend." Peter struggled out.

"Okay. Okay. Where your asthma thingy you use all the time in class?" Harley asked. Peter shifted, showing his backpack behind him.

"Front pocket. The little purple one." Peter wheezed out. Harley nodded, pulling Peter's backpack towards himself and then searching for it and then handing it to Peter.

"It's an inhaler by the way," Peter said before uncapping it and pushing it past his lips, pumping it four times before he put it haphazardly back in his back, leaning on the wall of the stall.

"Good to know. Uh, Pete, can you take your hand away from your eye so I can see if it's okay?" Harley asked gently. Peter looked away from him down at the floor.

"You're gonna see it." He said softly. Harley sighed, moving closer and holding Peter's wrist gently.

"Pete, I promise I won't judge you. I just want to see if your eyes okay. Tony, my guardian, he got hit one time and we didn't even notice his Cornia detached." Harley said gently. Peter nodded slowly, bringing his hand away from his eyes and placing it in his lap with his other hand. Harley's breathing stopped for a moment, he knew Peter was blind in that eye, but he had no idea it would look like it did.

A light blue, almost white. His pupil was blue too, moving with his other eye as Harley moving his chin around slowly, lifting his eyelid.

"You're all good. Just a black eye. Pretty bad one too." Harley said softly. Peter nodded, covering his eyes back up with his hand.

"I think it's beautiful," Harley whispered, blindly grabbing some toilet paper, slowly wiping the blood from Peter's mouth and nose, thankful Peter's nose wasn't broken.

"You do?" Peter whispered back, making eye contact with Harley who nodded slowly.

"Yeah. And I'm really glad you let me see. And I'm glad that I'm one of the first people to see." Harley said gently. Peter's hand slowly fell back into his lap, eyes boring into Harley's. By now Harley had finished getting the blood off, Peter looked bad but nothing was broken.

"You really mean that?" Peter asked. Harley nodded slowly, maybe it wasn't the best time to be realising how pretty Peter was, or how soft his skin was, or the countless times he'd found himself staring at Peter laughing, smiling, doing physics equations or just about everything. And _maybe_ Peter had nice lips.

"Course I do Darlin'" Harley breathed. And god did Peter look absolutely beautiful blushing. Suddenly, well not so suddenly Harley could feel himself leaning forward and his mind screaming at him to stop before he messed something up, because his lips were on Peter's and they were kissing each other. After a moment they pulled back, Peter's chest heaving, hands fumbling for his inhaler.

"You're gonna give me an asthma attack Keener." He breathed, taking several puffs.

"That good huh?" Harley mused. Peter rolled his eyes.

"Shut it, Keener." Peter said, fighting the grin making its way into his face. Peter and he had always had this rivalry going on in all of their glasses due to them butting heads with their grades.

"Pete, we just kissed on the bathroom floor, I think we're on first-name basis." Harley chuckled. Peter flushed, looking up at Harley.

"And we're skipping right to pet names are we? Don't think I didn't miss that slip-up. Bet you've been wanting to call me that since you first met." Peter teased. Harley rolled his eyes, helping Peter off of the floor.

"I shamelessly admit I have. Although maybe in a different setting and maybe kissing you without the split lip." Harley missed. Peter hummed.

"Yeah. That stung. How about we try that again after a date?"

——————————————————

"Oh! It's you!" Harley shouted. Peter rolled his eyes and shook his head, pointing back to his hand over his left eye. He was comfortable enough around Harley he didn't wear his glasses when they were alone, but his bangs still covered the eyes most of the time. He didn't notice the team standing the doorway watching them, his bangs covering his eyes so they weren't able to see it. Who plays charades during the summer break?

"Uhh, a pirate?" Harley asked. Peter waved his hand around for him to continue.

"Oh! Nick Fury!" Harley shouted finally.

"Finally! First, I'm not famous so I wouldn't be on the card, second if I was on the card I would have gestured to all of me, third I would literally never be on a card because I'm an ugly mug." Peter said in exasperation.

"Calm down or your gonna have an asthma attack. And I'll have you know that I think you are very beautiful." Harley soothed. Peter narrowed his eyes at Harley, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Shut it, Keener." He said. Harley just grinned, putting his hands on Peter's hips and pulling him into his lap so he was straddling him.

"Really? Back to last name basis?" Harley teased, kissing Peter's nose, who rolled his eyes and threw his arms around Harley's shoulders.

"If you keep being stupid, then yes." Peter teased back. Harley's grin widened, his grip tightening on Peter's hips, making his breath hitch.

"We weren't on last name basis last night." He said. Peter made a gagging noise, rolling off o Harley and sitting beside him.

"Keep it in your pants, Keener, we're only playing charades. We're supposed to be spending quality time together, not being gross hormonal teenage boys." Peter said, waving his hand.

"Oh come on, its summer! We're supposed to be having fun!" Harley exclaimed, flopping dramatically on top of peter who rolled his eyes again, attempting to push Harley off of himself.

"Your version of fun and my version of fun are two very different things, especially when I'm 100% sure my aunt have cameras watching us." Peter said, making a face when Harley stayed firmly planted on his body.

"And Tony Stark has cameras everywhere as well watching Harley Keener." Tony drawled from the doorway. Peter froze, clamping a hand over his left eye and looking at Harley frantically.

"You guys weren't supposed to be back for like another week!" He exclaimed at the team standing in the doorway, most of them stifling laughter.

"Harley, get the hell off of me, I need to find my glasses," Peter whispered, clearly panicking.

"Wait, they're right here." Harley said, pulling them up from the floor and handing them to Peter who immediately shoved them onto his face.

"Are you gonna get off of me?" Peter asked, clearly unimpressed.

"Nope. You are quite comfy." Harley said, looking up at Peter who rolled his eyes and promptly pushed Harley off of himself.

"Really? That's what I get for loving you?" Harley asked, Peter giggled, pushing Harley with his sock covered feet.

"That's what you get for being horny all the time." He giggled.

"That's one bold fashion statement." Toky drawled from the doorway, narrowing his eyes at Peter's blacked-out glasses. Peter blinked several times, pushing them up the bridge of his nose.

"Oh, not a fashion statement. I'm blind. In that eye. And it looks a bit funny, usually scares people." Peter said quietly. Harley, who had finally gotten up off of the floor pat Peter on the shoulder.

"Pete, literally no one cares," Harley said, Peter turned his head to him, putting his hands on his hips.

"You tell Flash that." Peter spat.

"Okay, well Flash is the exception. He's also just a fucking asshole who likes to beat you up for fun, and smash you into lockers cause he thinks it's funny." Harley reasoned. Peter narrowed his eyes, sinking into the couch, sticking his bottom lip out in a pout.

"Hey! I was only telling you the truth! Don't get all pouty with me." Harley said.

"Sorry to interrupt you love birds, but why is your little boyfriend here?" Toky asked, Harley and Peter locked eyes, before Peter shrugged and turned back to Tony, not quite sure how he was keeping a level head.

"My aunts out of the apartment for the next week and because I'm on disability aid I'm not allowed to be alone at home, and none of my friends were gonna be home so Harley offered." Peter said weakly, he really didn't talk about his eye much, not even with Harley.

"Why aren't you with your parents?" Steve asked. Peter froze.

"Well, funny story, they're dead." Peter blurted out. He winced and glanced at Harley who's lips were pressed into a thin line as the room silenced.

"Okay, that got awkward really quickly. My condolences. Your aunt single?" Tony asked, Peter narrowed his eyes, clearly mad.

"Widowed actually." Peter spat.

"You know what, I think Tony should stop asking questions," Natasha said, pushing Tony into one of the couches and throwing him a warning look.

"So. What were you guys doing?" Clint asked.

"Charades." Peter supplied, picking up the cards and packing them back into the box.

"Since when did we own charades?" Bucky asked. Peter blushed darkly while Hadley chuckled.

"Peter's obsessed with card games and board games, he brought it from home," Harley said, Peter threw him the stank eye and closed the box.

"Oh haha Keener, what are you obsessed with hmm?" Peter asked. Harley cocked his head, grinning wickedly at Peter.

"Getting into your pants." He said shamelessly. Peter's ears burned, pulling his inhaler out of his pocket at throwing it at Harley with a loud thunk.

"I have more where that came from you swine!" He shouted, pulling the other one out and readying it.

"No! Don't throw another one!" Harley shouted, jumping up from the couch and running down the hall to his room, Peter followed behind, leaving behind sounds of giggling and then bickering.

"Jesus they sound like Stevie and I. Asthma and all," Bucky said in frustration. They were cut off by a shout, then the sound of Harley's door opening then slamming shut.

"There's something strange about that boy." Toky said quietly.

"What? That he doesn't put up with Harley's ego? No, there's everything right with him. I approve." Natasha said.

"You say that like you're the one who adopted him." Tony drawled.

"That Peter kid is a good influence on Harley though."


	69. Sweater paws

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An-Peter cries when he's too sleepy, which can be problematic when he needs to meet the avengers
> 
> TW-Blood

"Mr Parker, please get up or I will be forced to activate the bad spider protocol." FRIDAY said overhead. Peter just groaned, snuggling further into his pillow and drawing his blanket tighter around himself.

"No. Jus' wanna sleep." Peter slurred tiredly. He'd been in his bed point two seconds, only just coherent enough to take off his suit, pull on uncle Ben's old NASA sweater and fall into bed.

"Activating bad spider protocol," FRIDAY said. A mechanical arm extended from the wall, pulling Peter's blanket off of him and hoisting him up by his ankle and shaking him vigorously and then dropping him onto the floor.

"Nooo. Wanna sleep." Peter slurred, curling your on the floor on his side.

"Mr Stark needs you in the penthouse Peter. I suggest you put some pants on." FRIDAY said. Peter groaned as he stood up from the floor, grabbing the nearest pair of pyjama pants, putting them on and pulling them up messily as he walked down the hallway, rubbing his eyes through his sweater paws.

"Was goin' on Mister Stark? Just got in from-" Peter cut short by his spider senses screaming at him, catching the dagger just a second too slow, slicing his finger open. He promptly burst into tears, dropping the knife and holding his finger.

"Woah. Careful there. You've gotten much bigger hits, why're you crying?" Tony said, rushing up to Peter and wrapping an arm around him.

"I jus' wanna sleep. But knife, blood and now it's on uncle Ben's sweater and it's not come out. I just want to sleep." Peter cried, holding up the sweater paw that was now soaked in blood.

"Okay. That's okay, we can put it in the wash with the special detergent everyone on the team uses and it'll be good as new." Tony said gently, Peter looked up at him.

"Don' have a shirt on underneath." Peter said tiredly. Tony cocked his head, looking Peter up and down, bare feet, inside out iron man pyjama pants and bloody sweater.

"How long since you've slept?" He asked suspiciously. Peter waved his hand.

"Only a couple days. But 'm fine Mister Stark. Just gonna catch it all up today and I'll be fine for school." Peter slurred tiredly, waving his bloody sleeve around.

"Really? Cause I've never seen you not catch a knife. How many days exactly Pete?" Tony asked firmly, Peter cocked his head, counting on his fingers.

"Ten? Maybe eleven?" Peter said confusedly. Tony pinched the bridge of his nose, ignoring the team for the time being.

"Ten?! Jesus Peter! Are you trying to kill yourself?!" Toky shouted, Peter winced, placing his hand over Tony's mouth before he really thought about it.

"Shh. You're loud Mister Stark. And no, just nightmares, can't sleep." Peter said, placing his finger over his lips for Tony to be quiet as he took his hand away.

"About the Vulture?" Tony asked, Peter, nodded tiredly, "Jesus Pete, why don't you tell me these things?" Tony said in exasperation. Peter shrugged lamely.

"Don' wanna be a bother." He said, rubbing his eyes with his knuckles.

"Pete. How many damn times do I have to tell you that you are not a bother. Jesus, get back to bed. Sleep." Tony said firmly. Peter crossed his arms over his chest.

"Well now I don't wanna," Peter said, whining when he noticed the blood, his finger already healed.

"You know, right now is not the time to be a typical teenager. Leave the hoody on the end of my bed and raid my closet for a new one. I know you like stealing my MIT ones. Now go Peter, don't roll your eyes at me. Go." Tony said, giving Peter a light shove down the hallway. He heard Peter mutter as he slunk off down the hallway, bumping into things occasionally.

"That's spiderman?" Clint asked incredulously.

"Yes. It is. He is also giving me grey hairs." Tony said tiredly.

"Looks like it." Bucky said.

"He also caught my knife." Natasha said quietly.

"He would have done it better if he were fully awake." Tony said.

"Yeah, what's that about?" Sam asked.

"Ten days? That's a lot, even for a mutant." Wanda said.

"He's been having these nightmares. I've been trying to get him to go a therapist but he refuses to. He's gotten a referral for PTSD but he's hard to convince." Tony said, waving his hand and sitting heavily on one of the seats, gesturing for the other to do the same.

"PTSD? Why?" Steve asked.

"First, he and his uncle Ben were caught up in this robbery. His uncle got shot and he bled out in Peter's arms, thus the creation of Spiderman. He's seen a lot of things he should have never seen as Spiderman, can't stand the sound of close-range gunfire, flinches at loud noises. But namely, he had a run-in with his first supervillain. Took him almost a year to tell me, but he got a building dropped on top of him. He only told me because he had a panic attack when he got locked in the kitchen pantry." Tony shifted, swallowing thickly.

"He gets these nightmares. Horrible things. Screaming and crying, I can hardly wake him up. He just won't sleep so he doesn't have them. But it's bad for him because he uses his senses for everything and when he doesn't sleep they're dulled. His healing slows down and he kind of just shuts down." Toky said, raising his hand weakly.

"Damn. How old with he?" Sam asked.

"Just turned sixteen," Tony answered.

"Sorry to interrupt Boss, but the baby monitor program has been activated," FRIDAY said overhead.

"What's Peter doing now?" Toky asked.

"Crying hysterically while trying to open his bedroom door," FRIDAY said. Tony sighed and stood up.

"This is normal. See you guys later. You'll meet him when he's not sleepy."


	70. Regrets

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An-after the snap Tony can barely function and Steve asks why. They realise he lost the most important person to him

It was odd, usually in times of crisis, Tony would have to forcibly be torn away from his lab, force-fed food and water. But it was like Tony could bear to even look at his lab, let alone go inside. The team thought it was the lingering feels of defeat.

But it was so much more than that. He could go in there and _not_ remember Peter. Peter and his stupid curly hair that he always combed back, but curls always broke free onto his forehead. Peter who always, always had a graphic-T on. Peter who's jeans Tony wasn't sure whether they were bought ripped or just ended up that way. Peter who giggled and whispered with DUMM-E in secret. Peter. Just, _Peter_.

Tony was a wreck. He just didn't do anything, sitting on one of the living room couches staring wordlessly at the floor. The team were curious about the quiet voice ringing around the living room at night when Tony thought they were sleeping. It sounded like a kid, voicemails. And suddenly they all had enough. Because now Pepper was starting to think Tony might actually kill himself if he didn't get off of that couch.

They all surrounded Tony on the couches, he didn't even move, like he was so deep in thought he didn't hear or see them come in.

"Tony. What the hell is going on with you?" Steve asked firmly. Tony looked up from the floor slowly, locking eyes with Steve for a moment before he shrugged weakly.

"Tony, your fiancé is sitting in your room crying her eyes out because she thinks you're going to die!" Clint said. Tony looked at him, tears that the team had never ever seen Tony shed gather in his eyes.

"Maybe I should." He said, voice hoarse and broken from disuse.

"Jesus Christ Tony, get off your damn ass and stop feeling sorry for yourself," Natasha said. So many emotions seemed to cross Tony's face at once, anger, sadness, grief, frustration, loneliness. Loss.

"I lost someone." He said quietly, a barely-there whisper that even Steve had trouble hearing.

"We all lost someone," Bruce said.

"This is different." Tony countered.

"Because you're Tony Stark? Look, we all lost someone-" Steve's rant was cut off my Tony jumping up from his seat.

"No! You don't get to tell me how I'm supposed to feel right now when I lost the one person that I couldn't bear to lose!" Tony shouted. Steve reeled back from the venom in Tony's voice, the tears spilling out of his eyes and landing on the plush carpet.

"Who did you lose?" Natasha asked softly. Tony fell back into the couch, covering his mouth with his hand, tears gliding over the rough skin on his knuckles. It made him think about Peter's knuckles, soft and unmarred. And that made Tony think about just how young peter actually was.

"My fucking son. And he didn't even fucking know it because I was too much of a coward to tell him. Too much of a coward to tell him how much I love him, or how fucking proud of him I am, or, Jesus how much I actually enjoyed his company, how much I looked forward to our stupid lab night where we were supposed to be updating his super suit and just ended up making fucking lightsabers. He's the only fucking reason I'm not dead in a ditch because he was the one person who no matter what I got out of bed for, who I found myself changing for. I quit fucking drinking for that kid." Tony said, voice bordering on a shout.

"But now he's fucking gone! And he's never gonna fucking know it! He's six-Fucking-teen! And he's just gone and there's nothing I can do about it. Nothing. And he was so, he was so good. There wasn't a bad bone in his body. You wanna know what his last words to me were? 'I'm sorry.' All because of this stupid fight we had a year ago. The damn kid was so focused on making sure everyone else was okay that he got caught up on making sure he was okay. And I was so useless, I just sat there, and I didn't even realise I was looking into his eyes for the last time.

"If I could go back and relive all those moments where I bit my tongue I would in a heartbeat," Tony said the last part deathlessly quiet. The room was tense and silent, until Steve cleared his throat.

"Bucky was more than my best friend. We were lovers, even in the forties. And we promised each other we'd always come back to each other but I'm not sure if we're ever going to get back to each other this time. And I can't go to sleep without thinking about the look in his eyes when he dusted. And he reached out for me. To help him. To do anything. To save him like I always did, but now I need him to save me and he's not here." Steve said, looking down at his lap where his fingers were twitching, hands shaking. Tony looked up at him, Steve was biting back sobs, biting his bottom lip so hard he was sure it was going to bleed.

"We're gonna get them back. We're gonna get every single person we lost back." Tony said firmly, eyes darting to every single broken person in the room. They spent hours, talking about who they lost.

————————————————————

Tony watched with wide eyes as Bucky ran into Steve's arms, kissing him hard. Loki slamming into Thor's front. Everyone was back. But no, they couldn't have brought everyone back but him, because that's not how it worked.

"Mr Stark?" Said a soft voice from behind him. And Tony thought he'd never hear that voice ever again. They'd spent two whole years getting the stones and getting everyone back and Thanos was finally dead. And standing there was sixteen-year-old Peter Parker, like Tony hadn't seen him dust in his arms.

"Peter," Tony whispered.

"That's him?" Steve asked, referencing the boy Tony had spent two years trying to get back. But also, Spiderman.

"Peter," Tony repeated, taking several staggering steps forward. Peter tore off his mask which retracted into his suit, his face breaking into a wide smile, tear tracks wet on his face.

"Mister Stark!" Peter shouted, running forward and standing in front of Tony, putting his hands on his shoulders.

"You remember when we were in space? And the big purple butt chin guy snapped his fingers? And I got all dusty? Well, I'm back! And the doctor guy did the portal thing, with his hands-" Peter was cut off by Tony pulling him by his arms into his chest, wrapping one arm under Peter's armpits and around his back, the other holding the back of his head in his hand, cradling him as close as he could. And sure it was awkward, but Peter was there. And he was alive, talking, breathing.

"Is this a hug? I didn't think we were there yet." Peter said quietly. Tony couldn't help but let out a sobbing noise, squeezing Peter in his arms. And he thought he would never miss Peter's rambling and chattering, but Peter was here and he was alive!

"You're alive. You're alive." Tony cried, Peter wasn't really sure how to react, just holding Tony as tightly as he could.

"Yeah. 'M here Mister Stark. I'm here." Peter soothed. Tony pulled back suddenly, taking Peter by his shoulders.

"Peter. You're here. I thought I'd never see you again. I thought I lost you. Jesus Pete, losing you was like losing myself and I can't lose you again. Never. Never again." Tony said desperately, placing on hand in the side of Peter's face and the other on his neck.

"I'm not going anywhere. Never again mister Stark. Never again." Peter said softly, he hadn't even realised he was crying until Tony wiped away his tears.

"Peter. I spent two years tearing myself apart because of all the things I never got to tell you. Two years. I'm going to tell you right now and you're gonna listen. You're gonna listen and you're not gonna forget." Tony said firmly. Pete nodded slowly, holding eye contact with Tony.

"I love you. So damn much. With everything that's left of my cold dead heart. And I have always been and will always be proud of you. You are best damn thing that has ever happened to me, Peter Benjamin Parker. I love you. So fucking much. So much." Toky said. Peter nodded, hugging Tony fiercely.

"I love you too mister stark." Peter said softly. Tony sniffled, shaking his head.

"Jesus Peter drop the mister Stark crap. I just spilled my heart out to you I think you and skip right to dad." Tony said. Peter nodded, laughing and sniffled.

"Yeah. I think I'd like that."


	71. Code Red

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An-After finding out about Peter's self-harm Tony created the Code Red protocol, which goes off while the avengers are there
> 
> TW-Mentions and descriptions of self-harm

"Hey, Pete. Didn't expect to see you here this afternoon." Tony said, taking another sip of his coffee as Peter walked tiredly into the room. The team was used to this by now, the boy they'd come to find out was Spiderman and Tony bantering with fondness in their voices. Peter usually kept to himself though, quiet, polite, reserved.

"May sent you a text. She's out for the weekend so you're stuck with me." Peter said playfully. Tony rose an eyebrow.

"Really? I could get rid of you if I wanted. No one would find the body." Tony teased. Peter hummed, finally deciding on a bottle of gator aid.

"You think you'd actually be able to kill me?" Peter asked expectantly. Uncapping the bottle and taking a swig from it.

"If I tried. All I'd have to do is wave some peppermint in your face." Tony said, Peter noticeably winced.

"You do that and I'll revolt. Mutiny." Peter mused. Tony cocked his head.

"Really? How far do think you could get with that?" Tony asked. Peter cocked his head, nodding to himself than taking another swig of his drink.

"I can be very convincing when I want to be," Peter said ominously.

"I agree. You've got those puppy eyes going." Tony offered. Peter nodded his head, turning back around, reaching to turn the sink on to wash the spilled drink on his hands.

"Careful spidey, there's a broken bowl in the sink," Clint said. It was too late though because peter cut open from the side of his pinky and up into his sleeve. Peter's eyes widened, his mouth falling open, his other hand slowly coming up to put pressure on the wound.

"Jesus who left a broken bowl in the sink. You okay Pete?" Tony asked, standing up and walking over to peter who was watching the blood drip from his fingers.

"Boss, based on Peter's breathing pattern and blood pressure we have a code red situation." FRIDAY said overhead. Tony's breathing just about stopped, leading Peter to one of the stools.

"Okay. Pete. Sit here and I'll clean up the blood." Tony said firmly, leaving Peter who was staring down at his bloody hand. Tony came back with gauze and disinfectant, sitting infront of Peter. Peter fought him weakly, pushing at his hands and grabbing tightly at his wrists.

"Just, just lemme do just a little Mr Stark, and, and it'll be over and I won't do it again, I promise. Pl-please Mr Stark I need to. _I need to_." Peter pleaded. Tony grabbed Peter by his wrists, holding them firmly and looking Peter in the eyes.

"No. Peter. No. Follow those breathing exercises we practised. Curl your hands three times." Tony said firmly, holding Peter's hands in his own. Peter shook his head.

"No, I just, I just need to-" Peter was cut off by Tony.

"No Peter. Curl your hands three times." Tony said firmly. Peter stared at him for a moment before drawing in a sharp breath, curling his fingers shakily.

"There you go. You're doing great." Tony said encouragingly, watching Peter do it two more times, his breathing slowly evening out.

"C-can you wrap my arms? I don't trust myself right now." Peter said quietly, holding Tony's hands tightly.

"Course kiddo, they in your backpack?" Tony asked. Peter nodded, pushing his backpack towards Tony with his feet.

"Front pocket," Peter said stiffly. Tony nodded, pulling them out and helping Peter out of his jacket.

"I'm glad you started carrying these around Peter. I know they help a lot." Tony said gently, watching Peter pull up his long sleeves. He cursed under his breath when he saw the scabs lining his arm.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I couldn't sleep a couple nights ago and I couldn't help it. I'm sorry." Peter cried, unshed tears spilling out of his eyes. Tony cupped Peter's jaw in his hands, forcing Peter to look him in the eyes.

"I'm not going to say it's okay because it's not. But I understand that you're gonna have set backs and you're gonna slip up, and that's okay because it means you're getting better. Before that, I can't remember the last time you slipped up." Tony said encouragingly. Peter sniffled, nodding slowly.

"Four weeks since the last slip up," Peter said quietly. Tony nodded, picking back up the ace bandages.

"Exactly. Now let's get these on. Talking or no talking?" Toky asked. Peter shook his head no, Tony nodded and got to work, securely wrapping Peter's left arm, which was healed and free of blood now.

"Does it ever get better?" Peter asked as he moved onto the next. Tony sighed, glancing up at Peter who was staring down at Tony wrapping his right arm.

"If you have help. When I got clean of alcohol, Rhodey had to lock up the liquor in every level of the tower and pour out everything in the penthouse. I even had to get FRIDAY to restrict purchases for six months so that I couldn't get anything with alcohol." Toky said.

"Was it hard?" Peter asked. Tony smiled softly, letting out a harsh puff of air.

"Yeah. Yeah, it was hard. The withdrawal was hard. It hurt. A lot. But I had help. I had Rhodey, and Pepper, and FRIDAY. And you." Tony said. Peter looked up at him.

"Me?" Peter asked incredulously. Tony chuckled for a moment, taking Peter's hands in his own.

"Yeah. You. After getting past withdrawal and the first few weeks it was hard, cause it would've been so easy to become an Addict again. But you were there, this little ball of sunshine. Always happy, excited, curious, genius. And I guess I looked at you and I saw everything I needed to get out of that because you've always had that hero-worship thing going and I didn't want you to look at me and see all these bad habits I have and think they were okay. I guess I didn't want you to become me." Tony said with a lame shrug.

"And look where we are now," Peter said quietly.

"Pete, no. You, Jesus you've always been so strong even though you had no reason to. And it's not your fault. Even superheroes need saving sometimes. Even the strongest ones." Tony said, patting Peter's cheek.

"That's the only time I'm gonna hear you say Spider-Man's a good superhero right?" Peter asked teasingly, eyes less glassy and breathing normally now.

"Yep. Now. You going out patrolling?" Tony asked.

"Nope. Sleepy." Peter said, yawning quietly. Tony nodded, squeezing Peter's hands and steadying him on his feet.

"Okay. Get your jammies on and I'll be in your room in a couple minutes." Tony said. Peter blushed darkly.

"I told you to stop calling them jammies." He said, his face scrunching up and arms crossing over his chest.

"Mhm. Now get. I know you have a stash of jammies under your bed." Tony said, grinning at Peter who rolled his eyes and picked up his backpack.

"Not jammies!" Peter shouted as he walked off down the hallway. Tony snorted and turned back to the team, drumming his fingers on the counter top.

"So. What was that?" Sam asked finally.

"Since when was Tony a dad?" Clint asked incredulously.

"That was a Code Red and I am ignoring that statement," Tony said, scrubbing his hands over his face.

"Okay. What's a Code Red?" Natasha asked. Tony sighed, propping his head up on his hand.

"Around six months ago. A lab experiment when wrong and Peter's shirt came off. I saw his Uh, his arms. Covered in healing scars and scabbing cuts and bleeding cuts. Not just on his arms, his ribs and his thighs. And with the help of FRIDAY I created the Code Red protocol which activated whenever Peter's breathing and blood pressure follow a specific pattern which showed when he wanted to hurt himself. His aunt and all his friends know what to do when a code red happens." Tony explained weakly.

"The protocol is for self harm?" Bicky asked.

"Yep. Apparently, Peter started self-harming when his uncle died, it just got worse when he got his powers because it healed faster." Toky said.

"How does the protocol go off if he's not at the tower or where FRIDAY is?" Wanda asked curiously.

"He has this watch we made. When he's alone it has everyone he loves natural heartbeats programmed in until he can get help." Tony said.

"Totally a dad," Scott whispered to Clint who nodded seriously.

"Boss, Peter is demanding your presence," FRIDAY said overhead.

"Okay. What's he gonna do if I don't come?" Tony mused.

"He can and will teach DUMM-E to waltz. He suspects DUMM-E will find great joy in dancing with you sir." FRIDAY said, amusement lacing her voice. Tony sighed, standing up from his seat, walking slowly.

"He says to speed up or he'll activate the old man protocol," FRIDAY said.

"The what protocol?" Tony asked incredulously.

"It acts like the training wheels protocol," FRIDAY said.

"Oh, I'm going to kill that boy."


	72. Illiterate

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An-Peter is illiterate and the team finds out on a mission

"Oh, that's a lot of words. Oh no." Peter breathed, tears gathering in his eyes in desperation.

"Jesus Peter just hit the shutdown button! It's not that hard!" Steve shouted. Peter shook his head frantically, not sure what he was looking at.

"There are too many words! I, I can't!" Peter shouted. But of course, they didn't know that Peter was illiterate and he wasn't planning on telling them but right now it was kind of just avoidable.

"Peter what are you trying to say?" Tony asked, far more gently then Steve but just as urgent and pleading.

"I'm illiterate okay! I can't fucking read and there are too many words and, and letters, and, and I don't know what to do!" Peter cried desperately, tears wetting the inside of the mask.

"Okay. Okay. Peter, buddy, I need you to calm down for me. FRIDAY, get Karen to show the video feed of Peter's mask." Tony said firmly but calmly. Peter nodded, stepping back so Tony could see all of the various buttons, their functions and the levers.

"Okay. The red button on the left upper hand corner. Not the big one the small one with the blue dot in the middle." Tony instructed gently. Peter nodded and pressed the button, holding his breath and closing his eyes and listening for explosions.

"You did it! Pete, you got the right one!" Tony shouted through the comms. Peter nodded slowly, ripping off his mask and scrubbing his hands over his face.

"I'm assuming it said off?" Peter breathed.

"Well, it said shutdown but close enough." Tony chuckled. Peter nodded his head as best he could.

"Okay. Great. Great. I'm gonna throw up." Peter blurted, promptly turning and throwing up next to the control panel, jerking when he felt Tony's attempt at a comforting hand on his shoulder.

"You're okay Underoos. No one got hurt."

————————————————————

"So. Illiterate." Clint said slowly. Peter shrugged his shoulders, swaddled so tight in a blanket by Tony that he couldn't move his legs or arms.

"Yep." He said quietly.

"So how did it happen?" Steve asked cautiously. Peter shrugged.

"I missed the first grade because we couldn't get the fees in on time, no books at home because we couldn't afford to move everything from the old house to the apartment, we couldn't afford a school ID so I couldn't borrow books and the library was closed at lunch, the Queen's library got shut and the next closest one was shut. I didn't get enough reading stimulation as a kid." Peter said weakly. Everyone nodded their heads slowly.

"Can you write?" Natasha asked. Peter could feel the tears burning in his eyes as he shook his head.

"No. I have to have an interpreter at school for tests and assignments. Text to speech app on my phone. Audiobooks. And I'm special needs." Peter said with another shrug.

"But you're so smart," Sam said.

"Just cause I can't read and write doesn't mean I'm dumb." He spat, his voice was filled with so much venom Sam flinched.

"That's not what I said." He said quietly. Peter sniffled in response.

"Everyone always says I'm dumb and stuff cause I can't read. I want to be able to read I just can't." Peter said weakly. Tony sighed and pulled Peter into his side, hugging him tightly.

"You'll be fine kiddo. We'll work it out."

————————————————————

"You got my a Father's Day Card? Really kid? I thought we got past that awkward tiptoeing." Tony said, waving around the letter in his hand. Peter rolled his eyes and pushed it back down onto the counter.

"Just read it. I made it." Peter said softly. Tony narrowed his eyes and carefully opened the envelope, eyes widening when the red card came into view. It was simple, but Peter had written it.

"How did you?" Tony trailed off, looking up at Peter who grinned shyly.

"Well, you know how I made a savings account with my paycheck from the internship? Well, I decided to use it to get a tutor. I know the whole alphabet and I know all the vowels, and I can write my name. So I guess it's kind of a thank you." Peter said, red in the face and holding his breath. The whole team were watching the interaction, either with wide eyes, hands covering mouths or jaws dropped.

"How long did this take Pete?" Tony asked shakily, tracing the messy letters with his fingertips.

"A few weeks. But it's not that good and you don't have to keep it if you don't want to." Peter blurted all in one go. Tony rose an eyebrow, opening the card and grinning, he couldn't stop the tears sliding down his cheeks.

' _Happy Father's Day Dad, I love you!_ ' The card read. He looked back up at Peter who looked nervous. He quickly stood up and pulled Peter into a firm hug.

"I love it, Peter. Thank you. I'm really glad you made it for me. And I love you too. And I have the perfect place to put it." Tony said, making eye contact with Peter as he plucked one of the magnets off of the fridge and pinned the card open to the fridge. Peter was blushing madly.

"You're not just saying that cause you have to?" He asked nervously. Tony rolled his eyes.

"No. But it means more because I know you. Now come on, let's go do something that doesn't involve me feeling emotions."


	73. Dyslexia

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An-After the spider bite Peter developed dyslexia, no one notices until Bruce comes back from Asgard with Thor and Loki

"Hello, Peter, a fine day, what are doing inside?" Loki asked, sitting opposite Peter who was sitting at the coffee table.

"Oh, hello Loki, just homework," Peter said, waving his hand in dismissal. Bruce sunk to the floor on the opposite side of the coffee table, narrowing his eyes at Peter who was letting out quiet sighs and rubbing out his previous working then redoing it.

"This stuffs easy Pete, balancing chemical equations is just like algebra," Brucie said gently. Peter let out a harsh breath of air from his nose.

"I know how to do it and it's supposed to be easy but there are too many letters and it gets all jumbled up," Peter said in frustration, pinching the bridge of his nose and putting his pencil down. Bruce cocked his head at Peter, glancing down at the paper.

"What do you mean jumbled up?" Bruce asked cautiously. Peter sighed, propping his chin up on his hands.

"Like the worlds are all blurry and shaky and they don't look like letter they just look like shapes and stuff. And it's like there are too many spaces between the words and letters." Peter explained. Bruce's eyes widened, the whole time he'd known Peter he'd never really seen him read much and his write was messy for a sixteen-year-old and he wrote exceptionally slow, not to mention his spelling and grammar.

"Has it always been like this?" Bruce asked. Peter shook his head.

"No, ever since the spider bite," Peter said. Bruce nodded slowly, he'd researched the causes of genetic manipulation via radioactivity, sometimes when the DNA was altered it could cause dormant genes to come forward.

"Do you usually need glasses? Or did you notice this immediately or gradually?" Bruce asked. Peter rose an eyebrow.

"Well no, after the bite I didn't need my glasses anymore but then I kinda thought I needed them but my glasses were too strong. Why?" Peter asked, narrowing his eyes at Bruce who shrugged.

"Pete, I think you have dyslexia."

———————————————

"What's with the glasses?" Steve asked, sitting opposite peter at the dining table. Peter looked up at him and frowned.

"They look stupid don't they?" He asked in exasperation. Steve shrugged.

"No, they look fine. But why do you need them?" Steve asked. By now the whole team was gathered in the dining room. This seemed to happen a lot, the team just spontaneously appearing just when Peter didn't want them to.

"Dyslexia," Peter muttered, writing faster on his page. He was blushing madly and avoiding everyone's eyes.

"Since when did you have dyslexia kid?" Tony asked, ruffling Peter's hair. Peter huffed and straightened his hair.

"Since the spider bite apparently. Something about how cause it runs in my family and after my DNA was altered it came through or something." Peter muttered. Tony nodded slowly.

"And the glasses?" Tony asked. Peter shrugged.

"They help a bit. But now that I have a note from Bruce it means I get provisions on tests and assignments and stuff so that's good." Peter said.

"Provisions? What are they?" Bucky asked. Peter glanced up at him and then back down at his paper.

"More time on tests, breaks and if it's an essay someone can write for me if I elect for it. And my assignments are altered so it's easier for me to understand. Oh, and I don't have to do speech's infront of my class, only infront of teachers and staff." Peter listed, putting his pencil down.

"Okay. And what's that you're doing?" Natasha asked. Peter slid the paper over to Bruce and handed him the pencil.

"Spelling test." He said shyly, watching Bruce mark it with red cheeks. Bruce put the pencil down and slid the paper over to Peter again.

"Ten out of twenty. You're getting better." Bruce said encouragingly.Peter slumped in his seat, picking the paper back up tiredly.

"Ugh. I'm going to my room."

———————————————

"Why are you crying? What's wrong?" Tony asked worriedly, standing up from his seat as Peter ran into the room waving his hands.

"I passed my midterm!" He shouted. Tony blinked, Peter had tears streaming down his face and fogging up his glasses.

"Of course you did. You're you." Tony said. Peter shook his head, dropping his backpack to the floor with a thump, dropping to his knees and rifling through his bag.

"No! My English one! With the massive essay, the one I decided to deny the provisions. And I wrote about the heroes journey?" Peter asked, pulling out the test paper and stumbling to his feet and almost falling over in his haste to shove it into Tony's hands.

"Nice kiddo, you got seventy-five per cent. I'm proud of Pete." Tony said, passing around the paper to the team who had varying responses.

"Yeah! And I only got twenty words spelt wrong and only got a couple of grammar things wrong." Peter said excitedly.

"And who's the cute guy with the glasses?" A boy drawled from beside Tony, Peter flushed immediately and turned slowly to him, holding the paper Steve handed back to his chest. He opened and closed his mouth for a moment.

"Uh, Peter Parker. You?" He asked nervously.

"Harley Keener, nice to meet you Darlin'." He said, blowing Peter a kiss. Peter sputtered for a moment, no idea what to say.

"Read the signs, Pete, he thinks you're cute." Tony teased. Peter narrowed his eyes, putting his hands on his hips.

"Really? Did you just say that?" Peter asked, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose.

"Is there a joke I'm not getting?" Harley asked curiously. Peter turned on his heels to narrow his eyes at Harley.

"I have dyslexia. Tony's an asshole." Peter said.

"Hey! I am not having the first time you call me something other than mister Stark be in the same sentence as you calling me an asshole." Tony said, leaning forward in his seat and pointing his finger t Peter who stuck his tongue out at Tony.

"Deal with it. Now I'm gonna go out this on the fridge because I can't remember the last time I passed an English midterm." Peter said teasingly, turning on his heel and stomping off into the kitchen.

"What're you looking at Harley?" Tony said bitterly. Harley shrugged.

"I am so glad you brought me to Newyork."


	74. Get out

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An-Peter has a fight with his boyfriend in the middle of the common room and breaks up with him, only for Flash to hit him. ANGST
> 
> TW-Domestic abuse

"Just drop it Flash!" Peter screamed, standing up from his seat and standing infront of Flash. 

"I don't think we're safe to go in there for a while," Clint whispered to the team gathered in the doorway of the living room watching Flash and Peter fight. 

"Maybe, but I'm staying here in case this goes south," Tony said firmly. The others nodded in agreement and kept watching the fight. 

"I just don't get why we can't have sex!" Flash shouted. 

"Because I don't want to! I'm not ready for it!" Peter shouted back, his throat raw and hurting to speak. 

"Why not?! We've been dating for a whole year!" Flash shouted back. 

"Because we're sixteen! I'm just not ready for that!" Peter shouted back, waving his arms around in the air. Flash stood up suddenly from his seat, making Peter take several steps back, he had never been remotely scared of Flash, but right now he was terrified. 

"If you loved me you'd have sex with me!" Flash shouted. And Jesus was Peter rendered speechless by that, his mouth opening and closing, eyes wide with tears spilling out of his eyes. 

"You _asshole_! What the fuck is wrong with you? There are other ways of showing love you through intamacy that don't include having sex! And I don't know what to say if that's what you think, that I don't love you if I won't let you stick your dick in me!" Peter screamed at the top of his lungs. Flash blinked multiple times in surprise. 

"I didn't mean that." He said quietly. Peter's eyes just burned in response. 

"Well, you fucking said it. What are you gonna tell me this time?" Peter demanded firmly, stepping up so close to Flash that their noses were almost touching. 

"It just slipped out!" He exclaimed, looking down at Peter. 

"Oh, good excuse. Then I want to break up. Oops! It just slipped out." Peter said. Flash stepped back, anger evident in his stance. 

"You don't mean that." Flash spat. Peter threw his arms up in the air again. 

"Maybe I do! Because I'm so sick of not being good enough for you. Not good enough to be seen with you in public, to be your dirty little secret. I'm sick of being ignored and, and pushed aside because you have more important things to be doing. I'm sick of it Flash! But maybe I was just a bet this whole time, what were you gonna do if I said yes? Tell all your little friends that I let you fuck me? That I'm such a whore and slut?" Peter demanded. 

"No! I would0-" Flash was cut off by Peter. 

"Don't even try it Eugene! I'm not gonna pretend that I don't hear you _still_ call me Penis Parker and Puny Parker and poor orphan Peter Parker! Don't pretend that I don't hear you making fun of me in every class and every change room! Can you at least _pretend_ you love me?" Peter shouted. 

"I do love you!" Flash shouted. 

"No, you don't! How many I love you texts have gone unreplied? How many goodbyes ignored? I'm sorry Flash but I can't keep pretending with you anymore!" Peter said desperately, his eyes puffy and red, tears wetting his shirt. He cried out when Flash curled his fist and punched Peter across the face. He shakily raised his hand, mouth hanging open and eyes wide as he placed his cold hand on top of the already red skin. 

"Get out." Peter spat. 

"Peter I didn't-" Flash started but Peter took a step forward, pointing to the elevator. 

" _Get out_ ," Peter repeated firmly, voice dangerously quiet. 

"Baby I didn't mean to-" Flash started again but Peter just pushed him towards the elevator, shoving his phone and wallet into Flash's hands. 

"GET OUT!" He screamed, pushing Flash again. 

"Listen to me! I didn't-" Flash was cut off again by Peter.

"I SAID GET OUT!" He screamed again. Flash finally took his advice and scampered out of the room, stepping into the already open elevator. Peter sat shakily on the couch, pulling one of the throw pillows to his chest and pushing his knees up against it. He barely noticed when the team slowly filtered into the room. 

"Am I allowed to touch you, Peter?" Tony asked gently. Peter was silent and still for a moment before shaking his head no. Tony nodded. 

"Okay, well I have some ice in a cloth for you." He said, holding it out as Peter slowly reached for it, taking it and pressing it against his cheek. 

"Do you want us to leave you alone?" Tony asked. Peter's eyes snapped open, shaking his head frantically. 

"No! Please don't leave." He begged desperately. Tony could feel the tears welling up in his eyes at the desperate and pleading look on Peter's face. 

"We won't. We won't Underoos. Can I sit next to you?" Tony asked gently. Peter nodded scooching over so Tony could sit comfortably. Tony sat down slowly, staring at Peter whose bottom lip was wobbling, tears spilling out of his eyes.

"Is what he did wrong?" Peter asked quietly. Tony opened and closing his mouth repeatedly, rendered speechless by the admission.

"Yes. It's called domestic violence." Toky said, deathly quiet.

"Is it illegal?" Peter asked. Tony sighed, moving so his knee was up on the couch and he was facing Peter. The bruise was already blooming on his cheek with how hard Flash hit him. Even on patrol Peter's bruises didn't bloom that fast.

"Yes. If you want to press charges he could get a fine or probation or you could get an AVO if you think he's gonna hurt you again." Toky said. Peter nodded in understanding.

"I want to press charges," Peter said softly. Tony nodded slowly.

"Do you want to get an AVO?" He asked.

"Yes. I think he would try to hurt me again." Peter said softly.

"Do you want to talk about it more now or later?" Toky asked gently. Peter shook his head.

"Later," Peter said firmly. Tony nodded.

"Okay. FRIDAY send a recording of Peter's fight with Flash to my lawyers and have them go from there with a description of what Peter wants to do." Tony said. Peter sniffled.

"Can I have a hug?" Peter asked softly, looking up nervously at Tony who smiled.

"Course you can." He said with a smile.

"I'll get the ice cream," Natasha said knowingly. Peter sniffled, smiling slightly into Tony's side.

"Yes please."


	75. Aragorn

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An-The team (Tony) are curious about Peter's habits and look for answers
> 
> TW-use of recreational drugs, sensory overload
> 
> Request for- @MadisonGibbs5 (From wattpad)
> 
> I am on the autism spectrum and I based this off of some of my experiences, please be kind

"Why are you in my room?" Peter blurted from his doorway, holding the straps of his backpack tightly. Sam and Clint looked up from where they were, examining Peter's things and grinned at him.

"We're checking out our new teammate's room!" Clint shouted, making Peter wince, holding the strap of his back tighter.

"Why?" Peter asked, pulling on the left backpack strap, causing it to tighten fully, then loosening it all the way then putting it back to its original spot then repeating.

"Why not?" Clint asked. Peter made a face, watching Sam who was running his hands all over the LEGO Death Star Ned has made with him.

"Can you please stop touching my stuff?" He asked tensely.

"Why not?" Sam imitated. Peter swallowed thickly, accuracy aware of Clint and Sam's fingertips and hands ghosting over his things.

"Can you please stop touching my stuff?" He repeated, practising the breathing techniques May had taught him. Clint and Sam ignored him in favour of looking around his room, picking up things and looking at them close to their faces.

"What's this sculpture thing?"

"Where'd you get this poster?"

"How old are you in this photo?"

"Why does your calendar have so many colours and keys on it?"

"I think this little guy would look better over here on your bedside."

"What's this flag for?"

"Why's this wall blue?"

"Woah look at this guy! I bet she wants to be picked up."

There was just too many noises, too many questions, talking too fast, fingers touching his things and they weren't telling him why and May didn't tell him someone would do this. Peter finally snapped out of his overwhelmed daze, crying out as Clint opened the roof to his tarantula enclosure. He slammed it back down on top, looking through to top to make sure that Aragorn was okay. She didn't even come out of his den which was good. Peter's breathing erratic and he was still tugging on his backpack strap.

"Out." He said firmly, pointing to the door, red in the face. Clint and Sam raised their hands in defeat.

"We were just messing around kid. We didn't mean to upset you." Sam said gently. Peter pointed again to the door.

"You can't touch a tarantula unless you've handled one before or you'll scare them. Aragorn isn't used to being handled unless it's me." Peter said firmly, pointing to the door again.

"Okay?" Clint said. Peter huffed, taking a hand full of Sam's shirt in his left hand and Clint shirt in his right and dragging them behind him until they were in the living room.

"Stay out of my room and don't touch my stuff." He said firmly.

"Okay. Okay." Clint said, raising his hands in defeat.

"Are you going to tell us how your day was?" Tony prompted. Peter shrugged his shoulders, adjusting his backpack strap.

"No." He said, turning on his heel and walking out of the room staring down at the floor. Peter opened his door, closing it behind him, pulling his hood over his head and pulling on the strings, dropping his backpack and pulling his covers back and sliding in, laying on his back and pulling the covers up to his chin, arms over the covers and sheets tucked into his sides.

"Would you like the lights off Mr Parker?" FRIDAY asked. Peter closed his eyes.

"Yes please FRIDAY. Thank you." Peter said, his voice as even as possible.

"No worries Mr Parker."

———————————————

"That's my pencil," Peter said, stopping short on his way to the fridge. Steve paused, looking down at the pencil in his hand.

"How do you know that?" He asked. Peter huffed, plucking the pencil out of Steve's grip and turning it in his hand so he could see the label.

"I label everything." He said shortly. Steve nodded slowly in confusion.

"Oh. Well, can I borrow it?" Steve asked. Peter narrowed his eyes before slowly handing it back.

"Yes." He said shortly, turning back to the fridge and bending over and picking out his usual juice box and opening it easily, throwing the rubbish away and shaking it.

"What're you doing tonight Pete?" Tony asked. Peter glanced up at him, still shaking the juice box.

"I have three minutes and six seconds to finish my juice and then two hours and ten minutes to study and then one hour to break and then four hours of patrol," Peter answered shortly, looking down at his watch and sighing.

"What're you doing in your free time?" Tony asked.

"I have to go now." He said in response, walking out of the room without a backwards glance leaving behind an exasperated Tony and the team.

"I was going to ask him if he wanted to join us for game night but okay," Tony said in exasperation.

"Would you like me to tell him, boss?" FRIDAY asked. Tony sighed.

"No, that's okay FRI. Just let him know not to overwork himself." Tony said tiredly.

"Mr Parker is certainly not overworking himself. He has a set work schedule on the back of his door with strict time limits and his monthly calendar with dates, times, to-do lists and motivational quotes. He even has alarms set on his phone to keep to his schedule." FRIDAY mused. Tony rose an eyebrow.

"Did May write the calendar when she visited?" Tony asked.

"Certainly not. Miss Parker offered her help but Peter animatedly refused her help. She did, however, gift Mr Parker a new set of rainbow markers he was been needing." FRIDAY said.

"Where did you find that kid Tones?" Rhodey asked. Tony shrugged his shoulders.

"Queens. But I'm sure he's a Middle-Aged soccer mum stuck in a seventeen years olds body."

—————————————

"What're you listening to Pete?" Tony asked, clicking his tongue when Peter ignored him. Peter was sitting with his jacket folded next to him on the floor as he stared down at his book, tracing the words with his fingertips with headphones in. Tony sighed, dropping next to Peter and sitting, Peter glanced at him but didn't make eye contact, blushing lightly. Tony sighed and gestured for Peter to take out the headphones. Peter nodded and plucked them out of his ears, pausing his music.

"What do you need Mister Stark?" Peter asked, bags under his eyes and blinking slowly. Tony could tell he was tired.

"You don't need to call me Mister Stark you know," Tony said. Peter narrowed his eyes.

"May said you don't call an adult by their first name until you know them well enough," Peter said shortly, putting his bookmark in the book and closing it and holding it under his clasped hands.

"You know me well enough don't you?" Toky asked. Peter shrugged.

"What do you want Mister Stark?" Peter asked. Tony shrugged.

"What are you listening to?" Tony asked. Peter rose an eyebrow and slid his phone over to Tony and shrugged again. Tony rose an eyebrow.

"You like AC/DC? Peter Parker likes AC/DC?" Toky asked incredulously. Peter's eyebrows knotted, taking his phone back.

"Why wouldn't he? And why are we talking in the third person?" Peter asked. Tony burst into laughter, Peter staring at him incredulously.

"Cause it's fun. I'll leave you to your book kid."

——————————————

"No! Do not rub off my to-do list!" Peter shouted at MJ, who made eye contact with Peter as she rubbed off the three-step list with her thumb. Peter was about to jump off the floor only to be distracted by Ned kissing him on the cheek. He blushed darkly and went back to sitting cross-legged.

"I hate you." He said firmly.

"No, you don't." MJ teased. Peter gave her a glance and huffed, rolling his eyes.

"No. I don't." He admitted. MJ grinned and winked at him.

"You have the stuff?" She asked. Peter nodded, crawling over to his bed and pulling out the under bed box, pulling out the little baggy.

"Mister Stark would kill you if he found this," Ned said teasingly. Peter nodded, lighting the blunt and taking a hit, handing it off to MJ and nodding his head.

"That's why I hide it. I put glad wrap around everything and then blankets so Mister Stark thinks it's storage." Peter said knowingly.

"Sure. Now take this back." Ned said. Peter nodded, taking the blunt.

It was weird, even before the bite it didn't matter what medications he took they never worked. Not for the anxiety, not for the ADHD symptoms, not for anything. So peter daughter other methods that could calm him down for just a few hours. And that's how he got to having weekly sessions with MJ and Ned passing a hand-rolled blunt around. MJ insisted he always rolled the best blunts but that was only because he couldn't stand the way Ned and MJ did them. Tony always also had lighters laying around the lab. Sometimes he just needed some time with his friends where he wasn't on edge or anxious all the time. Just, slightly normal for once.

"Time for snacks," Ned said solemnly after a few hours. Peter nodded seriously, standing up and opening the door to his bathroom.

"You keep your snacks hidden in the bathroom?" MJ asked with a giggle. Peter threw her an incredulous look.

"No? I'm brushing my teeth, changing my shirt and putting deodorant on so Mister Stark doesn't find out. The snacks are in the kitchen." Peter explained, doing as he said casually.

"You wanna play your playlist?" Ned asked. Peter nodded, dropping to his knees and tapping on his phone for a moment before finding the playlist.

"Tunes to get baked to by Beter P Barker." Peter said. MJ giggled and took the phone, flicking through the songs.

"Dude these are all classic and modern rock," MJ said. Peter shrugged.

"Deal with it." He said, opening his door and closing it behind him. He quickly made his way to the kitchen, far more relaxed then he could remember sober. Muscles relaxed, blinking slowly and breathing finally at a normal pace, along with his heart rate. He would know, he checks it every half an hour. He opened the cabinet and pulled out his labelled snack, Oreos for Ned, Doritos for MJ and sour straps for Peter. He would know, they always came here.

"Why are you hoarding snacks for?" Clint asked suspiciously. Peter turned, not even realising that they were in the room.

"Ned and MJ are over." He explained simply. Clint nodded slowly.

"Sure buddy." He said. Peter cocked his head but shrugged and closed the cupboard. He left the room swiftly, leaving the team behind.

"Weed. Definitely weed." Clint confirmed. Tony turned sharply to him.

"What?!" He seethed.

"Didn't you smell it? He reeked of it!" Natasha exclaimed.

"He did not!" Tony retorted.

"Really Tony? You're in denial? He's doing drugs. It's only marijuana, Tony." Bucky said. Tony narrowed his eyes.

"And from weed it's heroine and then it's crack." Tony seethed.

"Peter wouldn't do that Tony. Maybe if you asked him why he smoked it you wouldn't be so opposed." Bruce said ominously. Tony narrowed his eyes at Bruce for a movement then sighed.

"Why do you always know things I don't?" Tony asked.

"Because I'm not a nosy bitch."

———————————————

Peter hummed to himself as he walked to his room, Bruce gave him a regretful look which made peter confused, and the rest of the team looked a mix between angry, guilty or regretful. He just shrugged it off and opened the door to his room. He paled when he saw Tony standing in the middle of his trashed room with the baggy of blunts in his outstretched hand.

"What the fuck is this?" He seethed. Peter stayed frozen in the doorway, Tony wasn't even supposed to find out, at least not like this. Peter opened and closed his mouth, tears gathering in his eyes because he was so scared of Tony's reaction.

"Answer me, Peter!" Tony shouted. Peter was so scared by the noise that he flinched violently, holding one of his arms to his chest, the other tugging as his collar roughly.

"I. Um. It's." Peter started, trailing off and looking up at the ceiling, willing the tears not to flow.

"It's weed! Why the fuck are you doing weed?!" Tony shouted. Peter flinched again, taking a few steps back because he was so scared. He cried out when Tony grabbed his arm and pulled him into the room, closing the door behind him. Tony just kept shouting at him, shouting and shouting and Peter couldn't get a word in because Tony was too loud and he was talking too fast and Peter didn't know what to do. The light was too bright and he could hear Tony's erratic heartbeat and the thrum of the electricity, and the light was blinding him.

He pressed the sides of his upper arms over his ears, fingers tugging harshly on the hair at the base of his neck. Tony faltered for a moment, finally noticing Peter's distress. Peter sunk to the floor, leaning his side against the side of his bed, curling up into a ball and pressing his face into his knees.

"Hydrogen. Helium. Lithium. Beryllium. Boron. Carbon." He muttered to himself, rocking himself and pressing his arms firmer over his ears, squeezing his eyes shut. But even so, he could still hear anything and everything was too bright and he could smell the motor oil on Tony's shirt and the too strong deodorant he always wore that made Peter's nose twitch.

He cried out when he felt someone touch his shoulder, curling tighter in on himself, his whole body rocking and trembling.

"NOTROGOEN! OXYGEN! FLOURINE! NEON!" He shouted, trying to drown out the other noises.

"FRIDAY what's going on? What's wrong with Peter?!" Tony shouted at the ceiling, stepping back from Peter who was sobbing into his knees, pressed so hard against the side of his bed Tony was sure it was breaking.

"Peter is having a sensory overload, sir." She answered calmly. Tony huffed desperately, no idea what that was or how to help Peter.

"What do I do?!" Tony asked desperately.

"Peter has noise-cancelling headphones in his bag and a blindfold in his desk draw. Carefully put them on peter without touching him. If you must touch him use pressure. If Peter does not visibly calm hold his wrists firmly in your hands and tell him to follow your breathing." FRIDAY instructed. Tony nodded, scrambling for the items and dropping to the floor infront of Peter who was still reciting the periodic table.

Tony sighed in exasperation and carefully slid the blindfold on and then the headphones. He sighed in relief when Peter visibly relaxed, shoulders sagging and breathing slowly slowing down.

"What do FRIDAY?" Tony asked desperately. Peter was still shaking and sobbing quietly.

"Take Peter's shoes off and then help him to bed. Pull back his covers and guide him in, and then make sure his hood his pulled over his head and then he is tucked in tightly." FRIDAY instructed again. Tony nodded and helped Peter into his bed. Peter stayed still under the covers, he'd stopped crying and he didn't look as pale as he had before.

"What now?" Tony asked tensely.

"Peter will fall asleep within the next thirty minutes by himself. That leaves you enough him to clean and tidy Peter's room and then explain to the team why they heard Peter's and you screaming." FRIDAY said. Her tone was now deadpan and unamused rather than calm and collected. Tony nodded slowly, making quick work of putting Peter's things back in their places and making sure Aragorn was undisturbed. He awkwardly walked into the living room, immediately surrounded by the team sitting around the living room staring at him.

"Tony, why did FRIDAY tell us all not to move and make minimal noise until you came into the room?" Steve asked sternly. Tony laughed nervously.

"I may or may not have gotten really mad at Peter which caused him to have a sensory overload?" Tony said weakly.

"Tony you idiot! I told you just to ask him!" Bruce shouted. Tony turned to him sharply.

"I did! And he just stood in the doorway staring at he and holding his chest and collar. What the hell was I supposed to do?" Tony asked incredulously. Bruce sighed, pushing his glasses aside and pinching the bridge of his nose.

"Not yell at him? He was clearly overwhelmed and you overstepped Tony." Bruce said. Tony threw his arms up in the air and waved them around.

"I didn't know what to do! What the hell is wrong with him?" Tony asked. Bruce's face hardened, pointing to the spot on the couch next to him. 

"Sit and shut up," Bruce said. Tony's eyes bulged out of his head as he slowly sat down next to Bruce, staring at him. 

"There is nothing wrong with Peter. He has ASD, or, Autism Spectrum Disorder. It is a neurological and developmental disorder that begins early in childhood and lasts throughout a person's life. It affects how a person acts and interacts with others, communicates, and learns. It also impacts sensory issues." Bruce explained slowly. 

"Peter never told me he's autistic," Tony said incredulously. Bruce shrugged. 

"It's his choice if he wants to tell you or not." He said. 

"Why doy you know then?" Natasha asked. 

"He told me. We were talking about Hulk and mental health and he just, told me. We talked about it for a while and then that was that. He just doesn't like talking about it because people think of him differently after." Bruce said.

"But Peter doesn't act autistic," Steve said in confusion. 

"You can't just act autistic. There are symptoms that associate with Autism and they're all on a spectrum. Non-verbal on one side and over verbal on the other. No eye contact on one side and extreme eye contact on the other. Peter is what you would call high functioning. Although Peter hasn't always been high functioning, and there are days where he still isn't." Bruce explained. 

"Oh," Steve said quietly. Bruce nodded slowly. They all looked up when Peter appeared in the doorway, changed into sweat pants socks and his hoody. He was holding Aragorn in his left hand and holding the doorframe with the other, his headphones around his neck.

"You couldn't sleep?" Bruce asked. Peter nodded slowly. 

"Do you want to sit?" He asked again, Peter nodded slowly, eyes watching Bruce closely as he moved over so he was sitting in the middle seat and the armrest as free. Peter nodded curtly and sat down. 

"After a sensory overload, Peter struggles with enclosed spaces," Bruce explained gently to the team who was watching Peter who put Aragorn on his lap. Peter's knees were pressed together, one hand resting over his chest and the other tugging at his hair. Bruce gently took that hand and placed it beside Peter on the couch. Peter just glanced up at him and then back down at Aragorn. 

"Jesus Peter I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to freak out like that and-" Tony started, only to be cut off by Peter. 

"Shut the fuck up." He said bluntly, looking back down at Aragorn and picking her up again. Bruce grinned beside him. 

"I'll have to tell May about that, that's the first time you've ever sworn," Bruce said, clearly impressed. 

"Felt appropriate," Peter said quietly, petting Aragorn with his knuckles continueously. 

"It was. I deserved that." Tony said seriously, nodding his head and leaning back into the couch. 

"Yes. You do." Peter reasoned. He shifted when the room stayed silent.

"Tarantulas are easy. They don't have love, or nosy father figures, or school or possesions, or recreational drugs. That's why I like them. They're simple. But people aren't. But I'm trying Tony, I really am." Peter said. 

"You called him Tony," Bruce said quietly. Peter made a face, running his knuckles over one of Aragorn's legs. Tony watched with a small smile on his face, he could tell from Bruce's tone that that was a big deal.

"Aragorn's going to start shedding soon." He said quietly. Bruce sighed and nodded, knew Peter got uncomfortable when talking about these things. 

"Is she going to get bigger?" He asked. 

"I think so. She'll double in size. May and I were thinking of getting another tarantula because I've taken care fo her so well." Peter said. Bruce nodded beside him. 

"That's great. We'll have to look up some new habitats for them." He said. Peter nodded wordlessly, setting Aragorn back down in his lap.

"Do you want to tell Tony why he found weed in your room?" Bruce asked. Peter glanced up at him. 

"That's a rhetorical question." He said bluntly, Bruce grinned and nodded. 

"Yes. It is." He said. Peter sighed, looking down at Aragorn in his lap and narrowing his eyes. 

"Medication doesn't help me. But I need to do something for the anxiety and ADHD symptoms and nothing helps. May doesn't mind actually, she walked in one MJ, Ned and I in my room at the apartment and she just said that as long as we're responsible and that I don't go out on patrol while stoned or high that she'd fine with it." Peter said, he shrugged his shoulders after a moment. 

"It just helps. It makes it easier to function like a normal person. It makes it easier with my senses and my symptoms. Yes, I should have told you and talked with you about it because you've taken me in at the tower and you've taken care of me. But I didn't because I've never really had secrets and it felt nice to have a secret. Especially from you." Peter finished with a small smile on his face. It got a laugh out of the team and a small grin out of Tony. 

"It's fine kid. I should have known you weren't smoking it just for the sake of teenage rebellion." Tony said. 

"Teenage rebellion isn't my style," Peter added. Tony chuckled and nodded his head. 

"No. It isn't. But I'm gonna have to set some ground rules, if you're smoking I want you to at least tell someone so that there's someone who can help if something goes south and I want your door open. No damning secrets." Tony said firmly. Peter nodded slowly, looking up at Tony and making eye contact, causing Bruce to draw in a sharp breath. 

"Okay. Then I should tell you that Ned and I are dating." Peter said. That took even Bruce by surprise who didn't know about the relationship. 

"Oh. Okay. Well, then no hankie pankie in my tower." Tony said. Peter made a face and stuck his tongue out. 

"Gross." He spat. Tony rolled his eyes and grinned. 

"So are we gonna talk about that whole father figure thing?" Bruce asked teasingly, looking between Peter and Tony. Peter narrowed his eyes, picking Aragorn back up from his lap and holding her out for Tony, who took her with shaky hands. 

"No. But he can hold Aragorn." Peter said. Bruce grinned at Tony who looked scared out of his mind. 

"That's an honour. You better not drop her."


	76. Ashamed

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An-Peter won't tell Tony's who's hurting him so he calls cooper
> 
> Request for- @tessalucy (From wattpad)

"Hey Pete, you're home late," Tony commented. Usually, Peter would stop and chat for a few moments with Tony and the team but today he just breezed past him at lightning speed. He narrowed his eyes, closing his mouth slowly. Peter was holding his backpack straps tightly, hood over his head and strings pulled right so no one could see his face. Peter never pulled his hood up.

"Not even a hello?" Tony asked. He heard a faint 'hello' from Peter who was toeing off his shoes and putting them in their place by the elevator.

"Wait Pete I wanted to talk to you about that new update we wanted to do on your suit," Tony said. He grinned to himself when it was bait enough for Peter to walk into the kitchen and sit at the counter, putting his chin on his hands.

"What's with the hood?" Toky asked. Peter shrugged.

"Tired." He said bluntly. Tony nodded slowly, walking around to Peter's back and putting his hand over Peter's hood, smiling when Peter's senses didn't react.

"Really? Then you wouldn't mind if I did this." Tony said, pulling the hoody down. Peter's eyes widened but he didn't bother to hide the massive swollen and bruised black left eye.

"Jesus who the fuck hurt you?!" Tony seethed. Peter shrugged.

"Did it on patrol." He excused.

"Really? Because Karen hasn't reported suit use since last night. And if it was from patrol you wouldn't be hiding it." Tony listed.

"Cool." Peter drawled tiredly.

"Peter you have to tell me who hurt you," Tony said sternly as Peter pulled his hood back over his head and pulled the strings.

"No, I don't." Peter said just as firmly.

"Yes. You do. I care about you and I want to know who hurt you." Tony said.

"You'll blow it out of proportion like you do everything." Peter muttered.

"Excuse me, young man, I am your current guardian. You need to start telling me these things. First, you don't tell me what happened with May, then you don't tell me about this stuff with Ned and now someone's hurting you and you won't tell me? You gotta open up kid." Tony said gently. He stepped back in surprise when Peter jumped up from his seat and pointed at Tony.

"I DON'T HAVE TO TELL YOU SHIT!" He screamed, storming out of the room and slamming open his bedroom door and slamming it back shut behind him. Tony opened and closed his light in surprise, his eyes wide.

"Oh my god, he's acting like a real teenager," Bucky said in disbelief. Tony narrowed his eyes.

"Not for Peter. I'm gonna call Clint." Toky said slowly, pulling out his phone.

"Why Clint?" Sam asked.

"Because Peter tells his son Cooper everything," Tony said, hitting dial and pressing the phone up to his ear.

"Hey Tones, what's up?" Clint said. Tony sighed into the phone.

"I know you're on leave from work but something happened with Peter. I think someone's hurting him but he won't tell me and I was wondering if you could get Cooper to FaceTime him? Peter tells him everything." Toky said awkwardly. He heard a laugh from the phone.

"You goin' dad mode on him?" Clint teased.

"No you dipshit," Tony said. Clint laughed again through the phone.

"Sure Tones. I'll get Coop to give him a call."

——————————————

Peter sighed when his phone started ringing but grinned to himself when he saw that it was Cooper. He proper his phone up on his pillows and pulled his first aid kit towards himself as he pressed accept call.

"Oh, my gods! Who punched you?!" Cooper shouted. Peter winced at the volume.

"No one." He said quietly. He picked up the cotton pad, dampening it in disinfectant and wincing as he dabbed it over the split lip.

"Really? 'Cause 'no one' doesn't leave a shiner the shape of a fist." Cooper teased. Peter glanced up at him and sighed, pulling out his container of bruise salve Bruce made for him.

"Okay, maybe it wasn't no one," Peter said sheepishly, unscrewing the cap and dipping his fingers into it.

"Who was it then?" Cooper asked. Peter narrowed his eyes as looked into the handheld mirror he'd stuck to his headboard, dabbing the salve around his eye. He stayed silent as he picked up another cotton pad and started wiping away the blood around his nose and mouth.

"Just a kid from school," Peter said quietly. He didn't notice Cooper looking over the top of his phone and making eye contact with Clint.

"Does this kid have a name?" Cooper said, trying his best to keep his anger inside himself. He knew Peter would shut down if he showed his anger.

"Eugene Thompson. But everyone calls him Flash. But I called him Eugene and he didn't like that. Not one bit." Peter said, stretching his jaw and sighting, pulling off his shirt and examining the bruises blooming on his ribs.

"I think he was more than a little annoyed." Cooper said quietly. Peter side eyed him and twisted so he could see the bruises on his back.

"Mayhaps. There may have been kicking, locker slamming, punching and head dunking involved." Peter said, dipping his fingers back into the salve container again and wincing when the cold salve touched his skin.

"Wow. What did you even do to deserve that?" Cooper asked incredulously, waving for Clint to get out of his room now that he had a name.

"My dear Cooper, you poor homeschooled clueless adorable boy. I purely existed." Peter said bitterly. Cooper rolled his eyes, ignoring his blush.

"That's a shirty excuse," Cooper said. Peter shrugged weakly and continued rubbing the salve in which was already sinking into his skin.

"Jesus put a shirt on you're distracting me," Cooper said, looking away from the screen when Peter giggled quietly.

"From what? Being a bonehead?" Peter teased. Cooper rolled his eyes and waved a hand, followed by a long silence.

"But for real Pete, why would he hurt you?" Cooper asked gently. Peter slumped, picking his shirt back up and holding it in his hands.

"He's just being a dick about me being bi." Peter said quietly. Cooper sighed, leaning in closer to the camera.

"Pete, you know you have nothing to be ashamed of right? And that so many people love you no matter what. You're you and that's okay. No ones gonna judge you at the tower if you come out." Cooper said gently. Peter sighed, scrubbing a hand over his face.

"Coop, please, can we just not talk about this right now? How about we talk about the treehouse that you and Lila have been building?" Peter asked. Cooper sighed and nodded.

"Yeah well, I've actually been meaning to ask you about it cause the roofs been all funny."

——————————————

The next morning Peter stumbled out of his room, the bruises on his face nearly gone but the ones on his ribs were somehow worse and he honestly couldn't be bothered to put a shirt on. He was just going on for a glass of juice and going to leave when he came face to face with Tony standing infront of the fridge.

"Why didn't you tell me you were being bullied?" He seethed. Peter opened and closed his mouth.

"How did you? Cooper." Peter said, blinking slowly, tears welling in his eyes and cheeks reddening.

"So you don't deny it?" Tony demanded.

"Well, what's the point? You never wait until I'm ready to tell you anything. I guess I never need to talk to you ever again because you're just going to get everyone else to do the talking for me." Peter shouted desperately, throwing his arms around in the air.

"Well, you never want to tell me anything!" Tony shouted back. Peter huffed.

"Why do you even care anyway?" Peter asked quietly. Tony's mouth fell open at the question, eyes wide.

"Because you're my kid!" Tony said. Peter was silent in response, ducking his head and staring at the floor.

"And I'm so mad at me that you don't want to talk to me but also so mad because you told Cooper and not me! I'm your guardian Peter!" Tony shouted. Peter's head snapped up.

"Because he's the one person who doesn't care about whether I'm normal or not! Or whether I'm successful! Or whether I'm who everyone wants me to be! He's," Peter paused, wiping his face hurriedly and waving his arms around in the air.

"And he's the one person who didn't leave me behind when I came out as bisexual! He's the one person who didn't treat me different, who didn't judge me or, or, or make fun of me! He's the one person who I can rely on to treat me as me! Not, not Tony Stark's kid, not spiderman, not, not who I'm not! I'm more me then I have ever allowed myself to be with him!" Peter shouted. Tony stepped back in stock, Peter's breathed was ragged, tears running down his face, cheeks splotchy and red.

"And that's what happened with May! She, she kicked me out! And I'm ashamed Tony! I can't tell you this shit because I'm ashamed! I'm so so so ashamed! And Flash used that against me! And Cooper helps! He makes me feel like I don't have to be ashamed and that I don't have to keep this wall up!" Peter rambled, his voice high pitched and desperate. Tony opened and closed his mouth in shock. Peter sighed and stepped around Tony, opening the fridge roughly and pulling out the bottle of juice.

He slammed it down on the counter, roughly grabbing a glass and pouring himself a juice. He didn't even look up when Bucky walked into the kitchen rubbing his eyes.

"Uh, I can feel the awkward energy in the room," Bucky said awkwardly.

"You couldn't hear it down the hall?" Peter asked irritably.

"Well. That too." Bucky said awkwardly.

"Is that why that kid beat you up? Did that to you? Because you're bisexual?" Toky asked, turning slowly and walking towards the kitchen island.

"Yes," Peter said shortly.

"You know Pete, I'm bisexual too," Toky said quietly. Even the rest of the team were taken by surprise, it wasn't a secret, but tony had never said that word before.

"What?" Peter asked shakily. Tony nodded.

"Yep. I'm a bisexual mess. And being bisexual is nothing to be ashamed of. You're still you. Down to the last awkwardly placed freckle and dimple. And just because someone told you that it's not okay to be you doesn't mean they're right. Peter, you are the most thoughtful, kind, caring, compassionate smart and most amazing young man I have ever known. And you're perfectly you." Tony said, holding Peter's hands in his own.

"What makes you, you, isn't what everyone else tells you what makes you, you. You define you. Be who you are and be proud." Tony said firmly. Peter sniffled, tugging on his hand.

"Fuck you for making me cry." He said weakly. Tony smirked, patting Peter on the shoulder.

"Hypocrite," Tony said quietly. Peter glanced up and low and behold Tony was crying also.

"Thank you," Peter said finally. Tony nodded, understanding that Peter sometimes shut down when he didn't know what to say.

"No problem kiddo," Toky said, releasing Peter's hands.

"You are totally a dad!" Clint shouted from the doorway. Tony, Peter and the team turned to the doorway.

"You weren't supposed to be back for another week," Tony said. Clint waved his hand, grabbing someone's arm and pulling the into the room, Cooper.

"Because this one wanted to come to see Peter to tell him something in person," Clint said in exasperation. Peter had never seen Cooper so flustered and red, nervous and shy.

"Okay. Go for it." Peter said, clicking his tongue.

"You're really cool and I have a crush on you!" He blurted. It was Peter's turn to blush madly as he stared at Cooper. Cooper promptly turned on his heels and walked out of the room.

"Wait! You can't just say that to someone and leave the room! Cooper come back!" Peter shouted, jumping out of his seat, groaning and rolling his eyes as he ran out of the room.

"I like you too you idiot!" They heard him shout. Clint and Tony nodded solemnly.

"That was bound to happen," Tony said seriously. Clint nodded.

"Now. I brought Natasha cause we have a little bitch to threaten cause he hurt Peter."


	77. Venom

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An-Peter has venom almost his whole life and problems arise when Peter starts getting into relationships
> 
> Request for- @_ilomilio_0 (From wattpad)
> 
> Italics for when Venom is talking inside Peter's head

"Wait I found it, Ned! It's down this alleyway! I'll go get it!" Peter shouted, running down the alleyway and dropping to the floor on his side to get the ball that had rolled under the dumpster. He flinched when he felt something wet and slimy on his hand but he ignored it because he had a firm hold on the ball. He pulled it out and smiled in triumph but then cried out when he saw a black mass sinking onto his skin. Probably just a trick of the light.

"PETER! What's taking so long?!" Ned shouted. Peter shook his head in confusion.

"Nothing! I'm coming!"

—————————————

"Peter that suit isn't going to protect you forever! You have to be more careful!" Harley shouted. Peter flinched, taking a step back from Harley. They'd been fighting about this since the moment they got together.

_We should tell him, Peter._

Peter shook his head to himself, no, Harley would freak out and he'd just leave like everyone else.

_But Harley is different. We like Harley._

"Harls' I am careful. And I'm always fine." Peter said calmly. Harley was red in the face, tears dribbling down his cheeks and onto the carpet of his room.

"But you aren't careful! I saw the footage from that bank robbery! You took six bullets and you didn't even tell me!" Harley shouted. Peter flinched again.

_We need to tell him, Peter. Or he will find out._

Peter sighed, we knew that Venom was right. He sat down gently on Harley's bed, patting the spot next to himself and looking up at Harley who sighed and sat next to him.

"Harley. I need to tell you something but you have to promise me that you'll listen to me and that you won't freak out when I tell you." Peter said softly. Harley looked at him in confusion.

"Are you breaking up with me?" He said, voice breaking with worry. Peter's eyes bulged out of his head, shaking his head frantically.

"No! No Haley's no, god, I'm in love with you. I love you, Harley, I don't think I could ever, ever leave you." Peter said firmly, fresh tears spilled out of Harley's eyes, his mouth opening and closing. They'd never said that to each other.

"Peter I love you too. And I promise you I won't think of you differently." Harley said firmly. Peter nodded slowly.

"Well, you know how there was that big scandal in San Fran about that company that extracted an alien species from space and started putting them in host bodies to form symbiotic relationships?" Peter asked slowly. Harley nodded in confusion.

"Yeah, and one was reported missing and they assumed it was dead," Harley said in confusion. Peter swallowed, Venom materialising on his shoulder and peeking out of his collar.

"Missing, yes. But dead, no." Peter said. Harley reaches out and pet Venom tentatively, causing Venom to nuzzle into his hand.

"How? When?" Harley breathed.

"We are venom." Venom said. Peter grinned, reaching to pat Venom's head.

"Yeah, bud I'm getting to it. Uh, I was ten and I walked into an alleyway to get a ball Ned had kicked in. I thought I was just imagining it but there was this black mass on my hand sinking into my skin. A few days later I was throwing up everywhere and there was this voice in my head and I thought I was going insane. And May found out but we saw the stuff on the news and we realised we couldn't go to the doctor so we kind of just talked to him. And he said as long as I fed him chocolate regularly because it has a chemical in it that's crucial for his survival that we'd be fine and he wouldn't eat my organs." Peter rambled.

"And tater tots." Venom said seriously. Peter nodded, smiling slightly.

"Yes. And tater tots. We have something called symbiosis, which means we perfectly match each other and benefit each other." Peter said gently. Harley nodded, scratching Venom's head making him purr quietly.

"How does that work?" Harley asked quietly.

"We protect Peter and he protects us." Venom explained solemnly. Peter rolled his eyes, eyeing the black good pecking out of his sleeve.

"Basically I just do everything like normal and avoid certain frequencies. And he protects me. He fixes injuries, hormone imbalances. It's like this protective layer that absorbs everything." Peter explained. Harley nodded, smiling softly at Venom who was purring louder now.

"So the bullets?" Harley asked carefully.

"Tasty." Venom said. Peter chuckled.

"He broke it down and then absorbed everything," Peter explained. Harley narrowed his eyes.

"Okay. I approve of your extracurricular. Does anyone other than May know?" Harley asked. Peter sighed, leaning his head on Harley's shoulder, wrapping his arms around Harley's waist. Venom responded by leaning on Harley's other shoulder.

"No. Just me and May. And now you." Peter said softly. Harley nodded, kissing Peter's head and then Venom's when he protested.

"Okay. I promise I won't tell anyone and I promise that I don't think of you differently. Or Venom." Harley said gently.

"I like him." Venom whispered. Peter giggled in response.

"Yes, I like him too."

—————————————

"Uh, Rogues, Peter Parker. Spiderman." Tony said awkwardly. He gestured to Peter who waved shyly.

"He's like twelve!" Clint shouted. Peter flinched and clamped his hands over his ears.

"Sixteen. And please refrain from shouting. Not everyone has normal senses." Peter said.

_They are annoying Peter. We should bite their head off._

Peter shook his head to himself and dropped his hands. Tony shifted nervously beside him, the rogues silent in the living room. Peter narrowed his eyes at the team who were staring at him open-mouthed.

"How irresponsible are you, Tony?! You let a kid fight in Garmany?!" Steve shouted. Peter and Venom didn't miss how Tony flinched violently, shrinking into himself.

_We must protect Tony, Peter._

Peter nodded to himself, stepping infront of Tony and putting his hands on his hips.

"Mister Stark did nothing wrong. When I met him when I was fifteen and I have been Spiderman since I was thirteen. Mister Stark allowed me to be smart, safer and better. He taught me how to fight, train and pick my battles. He was the only person who believed in me. And I'll have you know that mister Stark has always taken care of me and always cared about my wellbeing." Peter said firmly.

"Excuse me, young man, this is for the adults," Steve said. Peter narrowed his eyes further, stepping closer to Steve.

"You don't act like an adult. Adults don't try to kill their best friends. Adults don't walk back into their old friends lives like nothing happened. They don't expect to be welcomed with open arms even though they did nothing to deserve it." Peter seethed, close enough to Steve that they were eye level.

_You've gotten taller Peter._

Peter decided he'd ignore Venom for the time being even though he was very happy he'd gotten taller.

"What are you talking about?" Natasha asked.

"Nothing Natasha. It's nothing." Steve said firmly. Peter chuckled darkly.

"So he didn't tell you? He didn't tell you that he plugged his shield into Mister Stark's arc reactor knowing it would be fatal. And he left him there to die. I was the one that found him. And I brought him back. And you didn't even tell them? Such a good leader Rogers." Peter seethed.

"You're nothing but a meddling teenager," Steve said, poking Peter's chest harshly.

"Steve that's enough. Don't hurt Peter." Tony said, attempting to pull Peter back by his shoulders. Peter held up his hand, his own eyes boring into Steve's.

**We should bite his head off.**

Peter blinked rapidly, he hated that he cried when he got angry.

"You should be ashamed Steve Rogers," Peter said firmly. Something flashed in Steve's eyes as he went to lunch Peter across the face, Peter caught his hand easily, squeezing enough to make Steve cry out.

"Why didn't you tell me you tried to kill him? You told me to leave so you could kill him?!" Bucky shouted from behind Steve.

"I was trying to protect you." Steve gritted out.

"Bullshit. You're a selfish bastard." Peter spat. When Steve went to punch him with his other hand Peter caught it, turning them and pinning Steve against the wall, holding his off of the ground by his throat.

"Woah! Peter! You have to calm down!" Tony shouted. Peter turned, his eyes black and black slim dripping out of his hair.

"We are venom." He said, his voice deep and gravely. Tony blinked in surprise, he didn't think this was a spider thing.

"FRIDAY? What's wrong with Peter?" Tony asked in confusion.

"Peter is host to a symbiote by the name of Venom. Venom appears to have taken control of his systems and Peter's mind is dormant." FRIDAY answered simply.

"We will not let you hurt our family." Venom peter said.

"Pete, or Venom, whatever, no ones hurt," Tony said gently, creeping forward.

"Contacting Mister Keener." FRIDAY said suddenly. Tony narrowed his eyes, if he were honest he was enjoying the sight of Steve struggling to breath being held up by Peter's hand.

"Why are you contacting Harley?" Tony asked.

"Mr Parker and Mr Keener created a protocol which instructs me to contact Mr Leener in the event Venom takes over Mr Parker's primary systems," FRIDAY explained.

"Why don't I know about this protocol?" Toky asked.

"It is one of Mr Parker's many secret protocols," FRIDAY said. Tony was about to say something when Harley burst out of the elevator and ran towards Venom Peter.

"Oh, shit. What happened?" He asked. Tony looked between Venom and Harley.

"Tell me, Tony!" Harley demanded. Tony blinked, nodding slowly.

"Uh, I, Uh, Peter got mad at Cap because Cap didn't tell the rogues about him trying to kill me and he said something about protecting his family." Toky rushed out. Harley nodded.

"Okay, Vee, does Peter have any control right now?" Harley asked, stepping forward so he was next to Steve and Venom, ignoring Steve for the time being.

"No. Peter is dormant." Venom said shortly. Harley nodded.

"Uh, why? Peter's never been fully dormant." Harley asked worriedly.

"Peter's adrenaline and fear hormones spiked and I was worried for his wellbeing so I offered to take control of the situation but Peter shut down. He is now producing worrying levels of melatonin and adrenaline." Venom said evenly.

"Okay. And why are you holding Mr Rogers up against the wall?" Harley asked. He eyed the tendrils of black goo travelling down Peter's arms and evading his torso.

"He tried to hurt Peter and Tony. I will not let Peter be hurt under my care nor will I let Tony be hurt in my presence. Peter is very fond of Tony." Venom said. Harley nodded slowly, reaching out and gently and wrapping his fingers around Peter's wrist, pulling his arm away from Steve's neck, Steve dropped to the floor and scampered away from Venom Peter.

"Okay well Tony isn't hurt, are you, Tony?" Harley asked, looking over his shoulder at Tony who grinned.

"No. I'm very good. My colesterol levels are actually very good." Toky said.

"Exactly. And is Peter hurt?" Harley asked. Venom Peter's face twisted.

"His heart is hurting and I am unsure why." Venom said. Harley sighed.

"That's love buddy. He loves a lot of people because of his enhanced emotions. Like me, and Tony, May, Ned, MJ." Harley said. Venom Peter nodded.

"Humans are strange." He said seriously. Harley smiled.

"Yes. They are. But uh, I happen to really like Peter, and he's human. Do you think he can come back?" Harley asked. Venom peter narrowed his eyes.

"Peter is refusing." Venom said regretfully. Harley's eyes widened in surprise.

"Why's that? Can Uh, can he talk to me?" Harley asked. He'd never seen Venom fully in control, the black goo was almost fully covering Peter's body now.

"He refuses." Venom said regretfully.

"Why?" Harley asked.

"Peter is scared for Tony's reaction and yours to my appearance and scared for his safety." Venom said quietly.

"Oh buddy, I would ever, ever hurt Peter no matter what. Nor would I hurt you, it's obvious Peter and you care for each other and as long as Peter is happy I'm happy." Tony said gently.

"I can see why Peter thinks of you as a father." Venom said seriously. Tony opened and closed his mouth several times before nodding slowly. Harley shifted nervously on his feet.

"Uh, I think I know how to get Peter back but I have to do something stupid." Harley said.

"What does this stupid thing involve?" Venom asked. Harley shrugged, glancing at Tony who didn't know about Peter and he dating.

"Uh? Kissing?" Harley said. Venom nodded slowly and sunk back into Peter's skin enough to reveal peter face. Harley surged forward and held him still around his neck, kissing him firmly with his eyes squeezed shut. The black in Peter's eyes quickly faded, revealing Peter's eyes and his body back to normal. Peter's eyes were wide, hands frozen in the air. Harley pulled back, still holding Peter's neck. Peter blinked several times.

"Good idea. It worked." Peter said softly. Harley grinned, patting Peter's cheek encouragingly.

"I still love you, you know? And you Venom, don't ask like I can't see you out of Peter's shirt." Harley said, patting Vwnom's head. Peter nodded slowly.

"Mhm. Love you too. I'm gonna go make tater tots." Peter breathed, patting Harley's shoulder and turning on his heel and walking into the kitchen.

"Why did I not know that my two favourite interns are dating?" Tony asked incredulously. Harley shrugged.

"You didn't know that Peter has a symbiote either," Harley said, blushing madly.

"Oh my god. Was that your first kiss?" Tony asked, grinning madly.

"Perhaps," Harley said curtly. Tony grinned.

"And you guys are already saying the L-word?" Tony teased. Harley rolled his eyes.

"Shut up old man." Harley seethed.

"Uh. What the fuck?" Clint asked.

"Peter has an alien living in his body and he acts as host. I am Peter's boyfriend. Tony is Peter's father figure but he doesn't know it. Don't mess with Tony because said alien living in Peter's body will tear you to pieces and makes him virtually invincible." Harley said.

"You damn parasite! Get your teeth away from my organs! The tater tots are almost done! No! Get away from my liver!" Peter screamed from the kitchen.

"And that's my cue to stop my insane boyfriend from burning down Stark Towers." Harley drawled, turning on his heel and walking into the kitchen.

"And I'm going to follow because I want to know more about this father figure business," Tony said, followed by screaming from Peter and Venom.

"You know what. I'm gonna go back to my farm."


	78. Mousetraps

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An-Peter can talk to animals, but when someone kills one of them he holds a grudge
> 
> Was a request from Wattpad, username/message was deleted/lost

"Hey, Pete what're your looking for?" Tony asked. Peter glanced up at him, the usual gang of animals following him. Mr wiggles the cat, Percy the rat and Anabel the parrot.

"Uh, Minnie the noise. She's been missing a few days and I can't find her." Peter said worriedly, dropping to his side and looking under the couch.

"Oh, I put out some mouse traps when you mentioned her a few days ago," Clint said offhandedly. Peter shot up from the floor.

"What?!" He shouted. Clint rose an eyebrow.

"Yeah, you said she's gotten in through the vents so I put some up there to get rid of her for you," Clint said, looking back down at his book.

"Why would you do that?!" Peter shouted, picking Percy up from the couch and putting him in his pocket at his request.

"Cause there was a mouse in the tower?" Clint said like it was obvious.

"She was my friend you idiot! I can't believe you would do that!" Peter shouted.

"If she was your pet you should have had her in an enclosure." Clint said. Peter snatched Clint's book out of his hands and slammed it down on the coffee table.

"She wasn't my pet! She was my friend! And now she's probably dead! Fuck you Clint!" Peter shouted, picking Mr Wiggles up off the floor and holding him in his arms as he stormed out of the room.

"Does Young Peter poses the same ability as I to communicate with animals?" Thor asked through the tense silence. Tony sighed.

"When Peter got the spider bite his brain activity was increased as much as seventy per cent. He is able to understand every single human language as well as speak them. He can also understand and speak non-human languages." Tony explained weakly.

"So the mouse?" Clint asked quietly.

"Is legitimately Peter's friend." Toky finished.

"That's why he's always being followed by random animals," Natasha said curiously.

"Yes. Mr wiggles, Percy, Anabel and Minnie were the main four. The ones he feeds and made beds for in the tower." Tony said with a nod.

"So if Minnie is dead?" Clint asked shakily.

"Peter will never forgive you."

——————————————

"Woah, what's up kiddo? Why're you crying?" Tony asked hurriedly, rushing into the kitchen where Peter was sitting with Percy, Mr Wiggles and Anabel.

"Minnie is dead and we're holding a funeral this afternoon," Peter said. He'd clearly been crying for a long time, his nose blocked up and cheeks tear-stained. Tony sighed.

"Oh, Peter. Minnie will be very well remembered. I'll get you everything you and your friends will need for the funeral." Tony said gently. Peter nodded and offered Tony a weak smile.

"What's Tony funding?" Clint asked, walking into the kitchen and opening the fridge. Peter glared in his direction, picking up Percy and Mr wiggles.

"You're a murderer." Peter spat, leaving the room swiftly and ignoring Clint's opening and closing mouth and wide eyes.

"Tony? What was that about?" Clint asked shakily.

"The mouse traps worked."

——————————————

"I agree with Mr Wiggles, Minnie was a fine woman, caring kind and most of all mischievous and full of wonder. She will be missed. Please duck your heads for a minute of silence." Peter said solemnly, ducking his head. The team followed behind obediently, dresses in black suits, dresses, jeans or shirts. Peter look back up and sniffled but then he saw Clint standing in the doorway.

"Out!" He demanded. Clint rose an eyebrow.

"I live here too. I can walk into the living room." Clint deafened. Peter stood up and made to push Clint out of the room.

"I said. Out." Peter growled.

"Why? It was just a stupid mouse!" Clint shouted. Peter broke into a fresh set of tears.

"Her name was Minnie." Peter spat, picking up Percy, his tail curling around Peter's wrist, holding Mr Wiggles under his arm and Anabel nestled in his hair. Clint watched him go with a confused look on his face and then back at the team who were all either angry or exasperated. Peter had even cremated Minnie with Tony, if the small urn on the coffee table was anything to go by.

"Jesus could you just give Peter some amount of sympathy?" Tony asked in exasperation.

"Tony his only friends are animals! You don't see anything wrong with that?" Clint asked. Tony sighed, scrubbing a hand over his face.

"Exactly. That's the point. They're his only friends. Peter has never been able to make friends, he doesn't have parents, the one person who wanted him around and loved him died when he was thirteen and his aunt couldn't care less. He's lonely. He cried the first time I hugged him because he couldn't remember the last time he'd received physical affection. Those animals are his actual friends Clint, and one of them is dead because you didn't ask someone before just putting mouse traps out." Tony explained firmly. Clint sighed, sitting down on the couch and putting his head in his hands.

"I didn't mean to. I didn't realise the trap would kill her, I just wanted to catch her and out her outside." Clint explained weakly. Tony sighed.

"I know that, and Peter does too, but it hurt him. He was the one that found her and he made the rest of his crew get out so they didn't see her." Toky said. Clint sighed.

"And Peter always keeps a grudge." Natasha added.

"Don't remind me."

—————————————

Clint honestly didn't know what to do, Peter had been pointedly ignoring him and not including him since Minnie's funeral, going out of his way to avoid Clint. He was surprised when Peter ran into the living room crying freely and panicky.

"Woah, underoos, slow down. What's going on?" Tony asked gently. Peter seemed to panic more to himself.

"I found a box of baby kittens beside my school in the dumpster and they can't be older than two weeks and I don't know what to do!" Peter cried desperately. Tony shot up from his seat, finally noticing the box Peter was holding.

"Okay uh, how many?" Toky asked.

"Six. They're all alive, they're talking and they're breathing but they're hungry and thirsty and I don't know what to do. They don't have fleas or mange so they're safe to touch, but I just don't know what to do." Peter rambled. Tony looked into the box and nodded.

"Does anyone know how to raise kittens?" Tony asked, turning to the team who shrugged. Clint slowly stood up.

"There's always mittens on the farm and sometimes the mothers leave them," Clint said. Peter looked up at him, his eyes narrowed.

"I don't trust you with them." He said quietly. Clint nodded slowly.

"I know, but I'm the only one that knows how to help," Clint said gently. Peter's lips were pressed into a thin line, looking between the kittens and Clint.

"Okay. But Mr Wiggles will be keeping watch."

——————————————

"Okay, support her head and just let her go ham," Clint instructed. Peter nodded and did as he was told, smiling softly at the tiny kitten holding his finger with her paw.

"Thank you. For helping me, even if I've been an asshole." Peter said softly, making a small noise when one of the other kittens meowed at him loudly.

"You has a good reason. And I'm sorry, about Minnie." Clint said. Peter nodded, sniffling at the tiny kitten.

"Are you crying?" Natasha asked as she walked into the kitchen where Peter and Clint have set up the kittens.

"Yes. Look at her. She's so tiny." Peter cried tiredly. Clint pressed and finger to his lips.

"He hasn't slept much in the last three days. He's emotional." Clint whispered over his head. Natasha nodded in understanding, patting Peter's shoulder, kissing his head like normal.

"Understandable. Have a great day."


	79. Breakups can be good

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An-Tony is on his honeymoon with Stephen and Peter his son has to stay with his pops, Steve and his stepdad Bucky. Angst

"Your rooms up the stairs and first on the left Pete," Steve said, following Peter from the door. Peter ignored him and held his suit case, duffel bag and backpack easily.

"Do you want help carrying your bags up?" Steve asked weakly.

"No," Peter said shortly, walking up the stairs two at a time and disappearing out of view. Steve sighed and turned back towards the door.

"Thank you for bringing him Happy." He said quietly. Happy hummed.

"All good, even though he acts like he doesn't want to be here, he does. He's just a bit messed up about some stuff. Don't forget about the email Bruce sent you about Peter's anxiety and the medication and make sure he takes his sleeping medication." Happy said, nodding curtly and closing the door behind him. Steve sighed.

"I don't think he'll let me near him let alone his medication," Steve muttered. Bucky sighed and wrapped an arm around Steve's waist, putting his chin on Steve's shoulder.

"Just let him be Stevie, he's a teenager. He wants independence. He'll come to one of us if he needs to." Bucky soothed. Steve hummed uselessly.

"He's never been away for Tony more than three days and now he's staying away a whole month? So much has changed." Steve said. Bucky looked up at Steve's face, tears gathering in his eyes and lips pressed into a thin line.

"He's sixteen now Stevie, that's normal. Plus he'll probably call his dad and papa." Bucky soothed. Steve nodded slowly.

"He got a nose piercing. Can you believe that?" Steve asked, a hint of a smile tugging at his lips. Bucky snorted.

"You're the one who raised him so no." Bucky reasoned.

"And his hair! Is that even allowed with his school's dress code? It looks like it hasn't been cut in years." Steve said. Bucky repressed the urge to burst into laughter.

"He's probably growing it out. He's just experimenting like any normal teenager." Bucky said.

"And he's painted his nails! I'm not against it, he just never wanted to do that when he was little. And he had eyeliner on. Who even taught him how to do that? And his style, what happened to nerdy little Peter?" Steve asked incredulously.

"Stevie, he's in high school. If he wasn't experimenting with his style I would be worried." Bucky soothed as gently as possible when he was trying not to laugh.

"We didn't do that." He said quietly.

"We also didn't have dinner most nights. Speaking of I'm making lasagna."

——————————————

"Oh hey Pete, we haven't seen you since you got here. What's up?" Steve asked. Peter had a very unimpressed look on his face and shrugged.

"Can I invite my boyfriend over? His guardian is being pushy about school and he just needs a break from some stuff." Peter said, waving his phone around in the air. Steve glanced at Bucky who shrugged.

"No one told me you have a boyfriend," Steve said. Bucky groaned, putting his head in his hands and sighing. Steve was going all protective.

"Yeah. And?" Peter said, toying with the hoop in his nose piercing.

"And I'm your father." Steve's aid firmly. Bucky saw it in slow motion as Peter's face reddened, hand slamming his phone down on the counter and throwing his hands up in the air.

"Not anymore! How can you even say that when I haven't seen you in three years?!" Peter shouted. Steve stepped back in shock, he'd never heard Peter shout, even though the last time he'd seen him was when he was fourteen.

"You're grounded," Steve said. Peter scoffed.

"Okay? It's not like I have any friends to leave the house to see." Peter drawled, waving a hand.

"What?" Steve asked in confusion. Peter had always been popular, friendly and kind and funny.

"Yeah, turns out people tend to use you when you have famous parents. Just a perk of being me I guess." Peter said disinterestedly. But Steve didn't miss the sadness and strain in his voice.

"What's your boyfriend's name?" Steve asked quietly. Peter glanced up at him, a smile tugging at his lips.

"Harry Osborn." He said sheepishly.

"Norman's kid? The one you've been friends with since you were like five?" Steve asked incredulously. Peter grinned.

"Yep. That one." Peter said, pointing a finger at Steve.

"Bet your dad loves him." Steve teased. Peter scoffed.

"Oh no, doesn't hate him but he doesn't love him. He refused to let Harry into my room the first time he came over after he started dating." Peter said in amusement.

"How long have you been dating?" Steve asked.

"Two years. Just after you left." Peter said, his easy-going smile faltered and dropped. He phone held tightly on his hand.

"He can come over for dinner whenever he wants. Just, don't make me regret letting you keep your door closed." Steve said quietly. Peter nodded.

"Thank you. Still doesn't mean I still don't hate you." Peter said, turning on his heel and running back up the stairs. Steve sighed, putting his head in his hands. Bucky sighed as well and rubbed Steve's back.

"That was progress bud. He's talking to you. Just hold out for a little longer." Bucky encourager. Steve nodded, scrubbing his hands over his face.

"Yeah. You're right." Steve said. Bucky grinned snuggly.

"I'm always right."

—————————————

"Oh, hey Pete. What're you doing up? Did you forget to take your medication?" Bucky asked, rubbing the sleep out of his own eyes and sipping from his mug of coffee as he sat next to Peter who glanced up at him.

"I should be asking you that," Peter muttered. Bucky grinned, Peter had pulled one of the blankets off of his bed and wrapping it around himself like a burrito and curled up on the couch.

"I asked first." Bucky countered. Peter sighed and glanced at Bucky again.

"I had a nightmare. And I can't sleep now." Peter said. Bucky sighed.

"You want to know why I was awake?" Bucky asked, nudging Peter with his elbow. Peter nodded.

"Same reason. I had a nightmare." Bucky said seriously. Peter's eyes widened.

"No way! But, but you're the white wolf! You're so strong and smart and cool and stuff. I'm just, I'm just Peter." He said incredulously. Bucky chuckled.

"Even the strongest people are allowed to have nightmares and need help, and support. And that's okay. And I know it seems like big-time superheroes don't have problems but they do. That's why they're superheroes because they don't want other people to have those problems." Bucky said. Peter turned so he could look at Bucky properly.

"Is that why you're a superhero?" Peter asked. Bucky nodded.

"Yep. I want to stop people hurting like I have and like I am." Bucky answered. Peter nodded.

"What do you have nightmares about?" Peter asked, turning back to the blank TV. Bucky smiled bitterly, sipping his coffee again.

"Lots of different things. But tonight it was about the day I fell from the freight car. And your pops reached out for me, but I let myself drop so he wouldn't die with me. And I remember how it felt. Falling. And then just nothing. That feeling of nothingness is what is terrifying. That feeling of saying goodbye and knowing you'll never get to say hello again. Never going to hear their voice again, or hear their breathing or heartbeat. That you'll never be able to say I love you again. That nothingness. That is what I dreamt about." Bucky said. Peter hummed.

"In some strange and twisted way I'm glad that you saved him, but I'm also sorry you had to go through that." Peter paused, glancing at Bucky, "I don't hate you. I think you're really cool. And I'm not mad at you, I'm mad at Steve. My pops, whatever." Peter said softly. Bucky smiled to himself, the first time Peter had called Steve pops the whole time he'd been there.

"What did you dream about?" Bucky asked, knowing Peter wouldn't want to talk about it further. Peter swallowed nervously.

"This guy I fought. Back when I had only been Spiderman only six months maybe eight. Weapons dealer. And no one believed me when I told them about the problem, my dad took away my suit and I went after him on my own. I almost died. Dad didn't stop crying. I thought I had him, but then the support beams he was firing about faltered and the five-story warehouse came crashing down on me. I thought I was dying. I think I was actually. And I was so scared, but I didn't have a suit and my phone was with Ned so no one could find me." Peter paused, biting on his thumbnail.

"It was two years ago. And I can't get it out of my head. I couldn't really feel the pain because there was so much adrenaline. But I couldn't breath, or move, or really talk. And I was just alone. And I guess I should be getting used to being alone by now, but there was nothing I could do about it. I was just alone. It was dark, and quiet, almost peaceful. But I was alone, and I wasn't sure if I was going to survive. And I just dream about being under that building again. And then I woke up and I couldn't get out of my blankets and I couldn't find my inhaler so I freaked out. And by the time I calmed down, I couldn't go back to sleep. So I'm down here." Peter explained weakly, still irritably biting on his thumbnail.

"I guess being alone is the worst thing to experience as a human," Bucky said softly. Peter nodded, glancing at Bucky again before moving closer to Bucky and curling into his side. Bucky smiled to himself and wrapped his arms around peter. A few hours later Steve walked into the living room to start on breakfast.

"Hey buck, thought you'd be down here. Pete's not in his bedroom-" Steve stopped short at the sight of Peter cuddled up with his husband. Bucky smiled sheepishly up at Steve.

"He called you pops last night," Bicky said softly. Steve smile dropped.

"He did?" Steve asked. Bucky nodded, looking down at peter.

"Yeah. He did."

———————————————

When Bucky and Steve walked into their kitchen to find Peter sobbing at the kitchen counter, trying to muffle the noise with a wade of tissues. Tears streaming down his cheeks, hair messy and wild.

"That's not how you muffle sobs. I would know." Bucky said evenly. Peter jerked violently, looking up at Steve and Bucky and wiping his face.

"Fuck off." He spat, running his hands through his hair and sniffing hard.

"I was only trying to help," Bucky said, reading his hands in surrender.

"Fuck you." Peter spat again. Steve finally had enough, standing so Peter could see him over Bucky's head.

"That's it. You can speak to me like that but you can't speak to James like that. You have an issue with me you take it up with me, not him." Steve said firmly. Peter rolled his eyes.

"Fuck you then too." He said, waving his hand in the air.

"What is this about? Why are you doing this?" Steve demanded. Peter suddenly stood up, slamming his hands down on the counter.

"Because everyone always fucking leaves!" Peter screamed at the top of his lungs. Steve blinked several times in shock then recovered.

"Peter, your dad and I have already talked about this. Your father and I hold no grudges." Steve said gently. Peter shook his head.

"That's not that I'm talking about! I get it, people fall out of love! Things happen and it doesn't always work out! But you also left me! Like everyone always fucking does!" Peter screamed. Steve blinked for several moments again.

"Peter what?" Steve said in confusion. Peter threw his hands up in the air.

"My biological mum didn't want me so she left me behind. Pepper left, and she the closest thing I've ever had to a mum. Ned's gone because I wasn't good enough. MJ's gone because I'm me. Harry's gone because I couldn't give him something he wanted." Peter mister off.

"You and Harry broke up?" Steve cig in. Peter scoffed.

"You find me sobbing in your kitchen and you don't think it's a break-up?" He asked expectantly. Steve sighed while Bucky watched carefully.

"Peter you can make more friends and-" Steve started.

"You don't get it! You left me! I love you so much but you left! Because you don't love me! And now you're back and I don't know how to handle that! Just like everyone else you're gonna leave again! It's only a matter of time until Stephen leaves and then my dad leaves because that's just how it works!" Peter shouted, a fresh set of tears rolling down his cheeks. Steve was frozen, his own tears dropping onto the floor. He didn't even think about it, stepping around the counter and pulling Peter into his chest, hugging him as tightly as he could. Peter was frozen for a long few minutes until he slowly wrapped his arms around Steve's middle.

"Why did you leave? Was I not good enough?" Peter cried desperately. Steve shook his head, holding peter as tightly and firmly as possible.

"No, Peter don't you dare think that. I left because I was scared, you've always been so perfect. Everything I never was. I didn't want to fuck that up. I wanted you to have a normal life with normal parents. I didn't want you to turn out like I did. But you did because you're like me and your dad, you're strong and you're stubborn and you're kind of an asshole. But I never stopped loving you. Never. For one minute." Steve said. Peter sniffled into Steve's chest, hugging him as tightly as he could.

"I missed you so much." He said softly. Steve smiled to himself, pressing a kiss into Peter's hair.

"I missed you too. I don't think I stopped talking about you any second of the day." Steve said. Peter peeked at Bucky.

"Is that true?" Peter asked him. Bucky smirked, getting up from his seat.

"Yep. He had photos of you stuck to the inside of his shield and in his wallet. I'm pretty sure they're still there." Bucky said with a grin.

"We'll have to get you some new photos then," Peter said smugly. Steve rolled his eyes and kissed Peter's hair again.

"I'd like that," Steve said. Peter peeked at Bucky again who was just awkwardly standing next to them.

"Get in one the cuddle. Now." Peter demanded. Bucky raised his hands in defeat and complied, hugging Steve and Peter tightly.

"We should move to the lounge room."

——————————————

"Oh, come in Tony, Stephen, Peter's just packing his suitcase with Bucky upstairs," Steve said, holding the door open for the two who smiled and walked in, following Steve into the living room. A few moments later Peter came back with his duffle bag and an empty suitcase.

"I'm gonna leave some clothes here." He said in explanation when Tony narrowed his eyes at the said suitcase. Tony smiled wide up at Peter.

"It went well then?" Tony asked. Peter nodded, smiling brightly.

"Yep. Now hugs before I go." Peter demanded to Bucky and Steve who nodded seriously and hugging peter tightly before peter struggled out of their arms and picked back up his duffle bag.

"Bye Pete. Love you." Steve said, kissing peter forehead.

"Love you too pops. Bye Pa." Peter said, opening the front door.

"He's calling you pops again?" Tony asked quietly. Steve nodded sheepishly.

"Yeah. After a bit of yelling, swearing and crying." Steve said. Bucky made a quiet noise, his face screwed up.

"Did, did he just call me pa?" He asked shakily. They all turned to Bucky who was frozen in his spot.

"Yep. You're part of the family now I guess." Tony said. Stephen was about to say something when they heard beeping from outside, Happy with an unimpressed look on his face as Peter leant into the front seat pressing the horn.

"Hurry up I have breakup revenge to plan!" He shouted. Tony's eyes bulged out of his head.

"Harry and Peter broke up?" He asked Steve and Bucky hopefully.

"Yep," Steve said. Tony pumped his fists into the air.

"Thank god. Well, we'll see you guys next week when we drop peter off." Tony said. Stephen rolled his eyes and pulled Tony towards the car.

"Bye Tony, Stephen."


	80. Positive reinforcement

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An-Tony finds out Ben used to abuse Peter when he accidentally yells at Peter and he has a flashback. Peter tried to justify his actions
> 
> TW-Mentions of abuse

"Peter you left your bowl by the sink again," Tony said in exasperation. Peter looked up from his phone with a frown on his face.

"I'll do it in a minute I just have this thing to do," Peter mumbles, going back to typing away on his phone.

"No Peter do it now," Tony said firmly. Peter groaned and put his phone down on the counter and picked up the forgotten bowl and spoon. Of course, Tony had to wait until the entire team was sitting in the kitchen to get annoyed at Peter.

"I don't get why you're so mad about it. I would have done it before I left anyway." Peter said, turning on the sink.

"And I don't get why you can't just do it when you finished eating," Tony said, his voice slightly raised, making the team look up.

"I was thinking about something! And I always clean up before I leave!" Peter said in protest.

"Jesus Peter just clean the bowl!" Tony shouted. No one expected it when the bowl Peter was holding in his hands shattered, the shards piercing his skin. Tony was more worried about Peter whose gaze which was transfixed on the splashback, his hands shaking slightly, tears wetting his cheeks.

"Shit, Pete I'm sorry I didn't mean to yell at you. Come on let's get you cleaned up." Tony said gently, making to grab Peter's wrists only for Peter to twist out of his range.

"Don't touch me," Peter said firmly, but his voice was far away and quiet. Tony glanced at the team for help who shrugged in response. Peter was staring at the floor, tugging at his collar and scratching at his neck.

"I think he's having a flashback," Bruce said hurriedly, jumping up from his seat and rushing over to Peter, still staring at the floor and tugging on his collar so he could claw at his neck.

"Why would he be having a flashback?" Tony asked worriedly. When he stepped forward Peter took a step back.

"You were yelling at him about dishes. I don't get how that could cause a flashback," Bruce said hurriedly.

"How much do you know about his uncle? The one that died in the robbery." Natasha asked. Tony turned his head to look at him.

"But you can't be saying what I think you are, Peter has never had anything bad to say about his uncle. He can't have been abused by his uncle. And May has never said anything that suggests he was." Tony said shakily.

"Tony he's having a flashback because you yelled at him about dishes." Steve reasoned. Tony froze when Peter made a small noise, blinking rapidly and shaking his head back and forth. 

"You with us Pete? We lost you for a few minutes there." Tony asked gently, reaching to touch Peter's shoulder gently, only for Peter to jerk away. 

"I need to go." He said firmly, picking up his backpack hurriedly and shoving his forgotten phone into his pocket. 

"Peter no we need tot alk about what just-" Tony was cut off by Peter, who had tears spilling down his cheeks, his whole body trembling. 

"No, we don't," Peter said firmly. Tony reaches out and caught Peter's wrist firmly, pulling it up until it was infront of their faces. The movement made Peter's breath hitches, coming out uneven and harsh.

"Yes, we do," Tony said. Peter didn't say anything, just wrenching his wrist out of Tony's grip, turning on his heel and disappearing out of the room, the sound of the elevator doors opening and then closing ringing in Tony's ears.

"FRIDAY?" Tony asked quietly after several minutes.

"Mr Parker has disabled the tracker in his phone and suit. Footage suggests he is not going home." FRIDAY said regretfully. Tony sighed.

"You're gonna have to find him, Tony, he could hurt himself," Clint said quietly. Tony nodded slowly, picking up his phone and keys.

"I think I know where he's going."

——————————————

"Thought I'd find you here," Toky said quietly, sitting next to peter.

"How'd you find me?" Peter asked. Tony sighed, getting comfortable.

"You mentioned when we first met that you come here if you're upset," Tony said quietly. Peter had an unlimited pass to this aquarium where they had a massive penguin section where there was a crawl space where you could sit or lay under the water and watch the penguins.

"I'm not upset," Peter said, looking away from Tony and up at the penguins. Tony sighed, shifting closer.

"Peter, FRIDAY said that you had an association flashback. You don't have those unless you're remembering something traumatic." Toky said gently.

"It's not a traumatic memory. It's just a memory." Peter said with a small shrug. Tony sighed.

"Peter, can you tell me what memory?" Toky asked. Peter shook his head frantically, looking away from tony who sighed. He stood up as best he could, dragging Peter out of the crawl space and throwing him over his shoulder. Peter was slapping Tony's back with his hands while Tony kept a firm grip around his knees.

"Don't worry, I'm his guardian. I am not kidnapping him." Tony said to the people staring at Tony who was carrying a screaming and crying Peter over his shoulder.

"Put me down!" Peter shouted.

"Nope."

—————————————

"No, put me down!" Peter screamed, still slamming his hands down on Tony's back.

"Nope," Tony said, stepping out of the elevator with Peter still over his shoulder, fighting tooth and nail to get out of Tony's grip.

"Put me down, you overgrown man child!" Peter screamed.

"Nope," Tony repeated, marching into the living room and throwing Peter onto the couch and on one of the blankets and swaddling him in it before he could leap off the couch.

"No! Let me go asshole!" Peter screamed, Tony just gritted his teeth and wrapped Peter tighter in the blanket and then wrapping him in another before Peter could yank his arms out. Peter finally stopped struggling when he realised he would be able to get out even with his super strength.

"Impressive swaddle," Clint said with a serious nod.

"Thank you. College was weird." Tony said.

"I hate you." Peter spat, unable to move his body even an inch. Tony waved his hand and lifted Peter's upper half so he could sit, putting Peter's head in his lap.

"No, you don't," Toky said, running his hands through Peter's hair.

"Yes, I do." Peter spat, but Tony grinned to himself when he saw Peter's body slowly relaxing.

"Sure," Tony said. They were silent for several minutes, wiggling slightly in the swaddle, attempting to wiggle out of it then stilling when he couldn't get out of it.

"Why are we in the living room?" Peter asked. Tony sighed.

"Because then you'll be forced to talk to me because the rest of the team is here to peer pressure you." Tony reasoned.

"For once Tony is right." Natasha drawled, that seemed to make Peter relax slightly.

"So. Where do we start?" Toky asked.

"How about what you were remembering?" Bruce asked gently. Peter shrugged as best he could with the swaddle.

"Ned was over at the apartment and we had Mac and cheese and I didn't do the dishes because we were watching Star Wars. When Ned left Ben cake home and saw the pile of dishes. He got angry and started yelling." Peter explained simply.

"And what happened after?" Tony asked.

"What do you mean?" Peter asked, looking up at Tony who was upside down.

"Well, Pete, you don't have a flashback because your uncle yelled at you for not doing the dishes," Tony said gently.

"He did what he always did?" Peter said in confusion.

"Okay. And what did he always do?" Tony asked slowly. Peter looked up at him in confusion.

"He hit me? Didn't your parents do that when you did something wrong?" Peter asked in confusion. The room was silent, full of open mouths, wide eyes and shaky breaths.

"No Pete, that's, that's not normal. Parents or guardians aren't supposed to hit you or hurt you on purpose." Toky said gently, his hands freezing in Peter's hair.

"They aren't?" Peter asked in confusion. Tony shook his head.

"No Peter, they aren't. It's wrong." Tony said firmly.

"But he only ever did it when he was angry or when I did something wrong." Peter reasoned. Tony shook his head again.

"No Peter. No. Nothing justifies hurting someone you love just because you're angry or because you did something wrong. Ben taking his anger out on you was never okay and will never be okay. And it doesn't matter what you did wrong, hurting you on purpose is never an okay punishment." Tony explained firmly. Peter nodded slowly, turning onto his side so he was facing Tony's stomach.

"Oh." He said quietly. Tony sighed, returning to running his hands through Peter's hair.

"Yeah. Oh." Toky said quietly, staying still and quiet as Peter slowly fell asleep in his lap.

"So, that was a lot," Steve said quietly. Tony hummed, still running his hands through Peter's hair, causing Peter to curl around Tony, nuzzling into his stomach. 

"I can't believe I never noticed," Tony said softly. 

"Noticed what?" Bucky asked. Tony sighed, shifting so Peter was more comfortable in his lap.

"Peter's always had this hero-worship thing going, or, that's what I thought it was. He's always craved my approval, like he needed it. And he constantly craves physical affections, approval, praise. I guess it makes sense with the stuff with his uncle now." Tony said quietly. Bucky hummed, sinking back into Steve's side. 

"Well, I guess there's more healing."

\---------------------------------

"Oh hey Pete, forgot you were coming by the tower today. How are you doing?" Tony asked gently, falling in step beside Peter and walking with him to the living room and sitting next to Peter on the couch. 

"I just need to pick up my spare canister of web fluid. And May's out for the weekend, she already sent you a text saying I'd be staying the night." Peter said, pulling off his converse and dumping them next to his backpack in a pile. 

"Cool, well get something to eat before you go one patrol and make sure you get some sleep tonight," Tony said, Peter nodded, standing back up and stretching his back. 

"Oh, and Pete," Tony said, standing up and turning Peter around, hugging him tightly around his shoulders. Peter was frozen for several tense moments before he slowly wrapped his arms around Tony's middle, burying his face in Tony's neck. Tony smiled to himself, swaying Peter lightly then pulling back. Peter nodded to himself, a small shy smile on his face as he walked out of the room in a daze, opening the fridge and then disappearing down the hallway. 

"What was that?" Steve asked curiously. 

"Positive reinforcement."


	81. Me? I am him

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An-Peter gets the main part of the musical and doesn't tell the team he got a part let alone his part. Tony finds out and then goes with the rest of the team

"I hate to break it to you Peter but you're definitely due for a haircut," Tony said, ruffling Peter's long and messy hair. Peter's hair hung past his ears and hung past the back of his neck. Peter looked up from his phone and shrugged.

"What? No, I'm growing it out for the school musical." Peter said, waving his hand and going back to texting MJ. Tony and the rest of the team rose an eyebrow, it was an odd day as almost all of them were here.

"Why are you growing it out for the school play?" Natasha asked. Peter looked back up, tucking his hair behind his ears.

"I got a part. If I can grow it out it means I don't have to wear a wig." Peter said with another shrug.

"Wait you got a part and didn't tell us?" Steve asked. Peter shrugged again, his cheeks burning.

"Well, yeah. I didn't think you'd care let alone want to go." Peter said sheepishly. He placed his phone face down on the coffee table and grinned shyly.

"Peter you've been practising for that part for weeks! Of course, we care. Musical theatre makes you happy." Wanda said.

"And I would never pass up the opportunity to get blackmail," Tony muttered. Peter was blushing madly as he nodded slowly.

"Well I only got two free tickets and one of them is already for May and the other can be for one of you but the rest of you will need to buy tickets," Peter said with another shrug.

"Wait, two free tickets? What part did you get?" Tony asked incredulously. Peter looked down at the coffee table again.

"That's a surprise. You'll have to wait until opening night." He said smugly, looking up at Tony's twisted face and sticking his tongue out.

"That's bribery to make us go isn't it?" Bucky said tiredly. Peter nodded his head enthusiastically.

"Yep! The money from the tickets goes to next years musical." Peter said excitedly.

"Are you gonna tell us what musical you're doing?" Sam asked. Peter shook his head again.

"Nope! You'll have to wait until opening night for that too." He said smugly.

"Ugh. You're insufferable." Wanda said. Peter just grinned in her direction.

"I know." He said.

"If you want I can cut your hair so it's even. So you can tie it up and stuff." Natasha offered.

"That would be great! I don't trust May to do it. She once accidentally cut my ear open with clippers when I was ten." Peter said.

"So when do you start rehearsals?" Tony asked. Peter looked up at him.

"Rehearsals start next week, Monday and Friday after school and as it gets closer I might have to do weekends, lunches or more days after school," Peter said, waving his hand.

"Jesus they're working you to the bone," Clint said. Peter shrugged.

"Well MJ is the director so that makes sense. Oh and she's also the producer." Peter said dismissively.

"Well, we'll be there kiddo."

——————————————

"You actually came! Peter will be so happy!" May said excitedly, not even thinking twice before throwing her arms around each member of the team in tight and excited hugs.

"We wouldn't miss it for the world Miss Parker," Steve said. May waved a hand.

"Just May, please. And you all look so nice." May said. All the boys were in their nicest formal casual and the girls in modest dresses. May herself was in a dress, something Tony had never seen.

"As do you, May," Pepper said, linking arms with Mayr as they waited in line. Tony grinned when MJ stopped infront of them, handing out the programs.

"Don't look at the roles. Peter wants it to be a surprise." She said firmly, locking eyes with Tony who pouted.

"Really? I thought he was joking." Tony said sadly.

"Mhm. Now come on, I'm leading you guys to your seats so you don't get mauled." MJ said. The team nodded and followed MJ to their seats, the seats mostly empty save for a few people.

"Do we get to see Peter before the show?" Bucky asked, discreetly pulling Steve towards him by his hand.

"No. Peter's getting his costume on and makeup," MJ said.

"Boo!" Tony complained. Pepper rolled her eyes and smacked the back of his head.

"Behave." She said. Tony shrunk into his seat.

"Yes, dear." He said. MJ grinned at the two for a moment.

"You'll see Peter in the first scene." Was all she said before she marched off backstage.

"Hamilton. I haven't seen this in ages." Natasha said, gesturing to the front of the program.

After a half an hour wait, all of the seats were packed, silence falling over the crowd as another cast member introduced the musical then sinking into the closed curtains, which slowly opened. After a few moments, Tony sighed.

"Where's Peter? MJ said he'd be in this scene." He complained. He looked back up at the stage where a spotlight was in the middle of the stage.

"And his name is-" the cast member said, Peter stepped into the spotlight, his head held high, hands clasped behind his back, hair pinned back behind his head.

"Alexander Hamilton." Peter sang. Every member of the team's mouths fell open in shock. Peter got the lead role!

"And me, I am him."

———————————————

"Thank you for attending the opening night of our school's production of Hamilton! Enjoy the rest of your night!" MJ said. The team filtered out with the rest of the audience, waiting outside the back doors for peter with the rest of the parents. When they saw him he was in baggy jeans and a loose sweater, his hair out and messy, the makeup still on his face. He ran out of the back doors, bag thumping against his side.

"You guys came!" He shouted, hugging each member of the team tightly in excitement before crashing into May, lifting her off of the ground for a moment before putting her back down.

"You were amazing honey!" May said excitedly, running her hands through Peter's hair.

"Thank you! It was amazing!" Peter said, just as excited.

"I can't believe you got the lead role and didn't tell us!" Tony teased, ruffling Peter's messy and dreary hair.

"I couldn't even believe it was real that I'd gotten the part! And it was so great! The lights the curtains and wow! I can't wait until tomorrow's production!" Peter rambled excitedly. Tony laughed, patting Peter's shoulder encouragingly.

"You did amazing kiddo. We're all proud of you." Tony said. Peter nodded his eyes, hugging Tony's side again for a moment.

"We got you some flowers. We would have gotten you better ones if we knew you were the lead." People said, handing Peter a very impressive bouquet of flowers. Peter waved his hand.

"They're perfect. Thank you, really. It means a lot that you guys actually came." Peter said, tears glistening in his eyes. Tony ruffled his hair again, pressing a kiss into his curls.

"So how are we celebrating?" Natasha asked teasingly. Peter reddened, looking down at his feet.

"Well, the rest of the cast and I are actually going to Delmar's for a few hours then home. I was wondering if I could go to that?" Peter asked sheepishly.

"Go for it honey, it's your night. Just text me and tell me if you need a ride home." May said, kissing Peter's forehead and taking the flowers from his extended hands.

"Thanks, May, love you and thank you. I'll see you guys later!"


	82. Morse code

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An-Tony realises Peter's been telling him I love you through Morse code.

"Is that morse code?" Tony asked suddenly, the tapping of Peter's forefinger stopping as his cheeks reddened and eyes widened. 

"Uh, yeah. Sorry I didn't mean to." Peter said sheepishly, tugging his hand under his thigh and continuing to write with his other hand. Tony stared at Peter for several moments, mouth opening and closing. 

"Have you been telling me you love me for two years in _morse code_?" Tony asked incredulously. Peter looked up, face burning in shame. 

"I, uh, I. I, well. Jesus Mr Stark I'm so sorry I don't know what I was even thinking." Peter blurted, hiding his face in his hands. Tony smiled softly, wheeling closer to Peter. Peter peeked at him through his fingers, flush spreading down his neck and through his ears. 

"Is this when you fire me?" He asked shakily. Tony threw his head back and laughed loudly. 

"No Peter, I am not going to fire you. Pepper would kill me. I was going to say I love you too." Tony said gently, setting a hand on Peter's knee. Peter winced at his words making Tony frown deeply. 

"Why didn't you say it out loud?" Tony asked quietly. Peter sighed, dropping his hands and putting them in his lap. 

"I just, just don't like how it sounds. Cause of stuff." He said softly. Tony nodded sagely, understanding that Peter didn't want to talk about it. He grinned and placed his forefinger on the table, tapping rhythmically. 'I love you.' He tapped. Peter looked up, a smile slowly tugging at his lips as he turned back to his physics homework with a small smile on his face. Tony had a matching smile on his face as he turned back to his own work. 

If the team caught them tapping 'I love you' out in any and all available surfaces at any time of the day then they didn't say anything.


	83. Platonic soulmate

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An-You can hear the song that is stuck in your platonic soulmates head. Cue Tony losing his mind because Peter's a maniac (Tony is fifteen when Peter was born, I made it different deal with it. No Spiderman)

"A baby Honeybear! A baby! My platonic soulmate is a baby!" Tony shouted desperately, his shirt hanging loosely on his shoulders, baggy pyjama pants dragging on the floor as he paced. 

"He won't always be a baby." Rhodey said teasingly. Tony groaned, flopping back down onto his bed. 

"But he will be for the next three years. He's learning to talk Honeybear, talk! I am never going to get the ABC's out of my head." Tony groaned, punching his pillow in protest. 

"You're getting what you deserve." Rhodey drawled, still propped up against his headboard reading his book. 

"ABC's Rhodey! ABC's!" Tony protested. 

"And imagine what your platonic soulmate has in his head. AC/DC, Metallica and Led Zeplin." Rhodey said. Tony looked up at him and narrowed his eyes. 

"At least I'm introducing him to taste Rhodey," Tony muttered. Rhodey cocked his head in Tony's direction. 

"How do you know they're a he?" He asked curiously. Tony looked up at him again and shrugged his shoulders. 

"Dunno. Just feels right."

\---------------------

"Uh, Tony, why are you crying hysterically in the bathroom?" Pepper asked. Tony looked up at her, sniffling hard and hugging one of the toilet rolls to his chest. 

"My platonic soulmates a nerd." He cried. Pepper rose an eyebrow, crouching infront of Tony. 

"And you know this how?" Pepper asked, gently prying the toilet roll out of Tony's hands and setting it back in the holder. Tony waved his hand, sniffling again and wiping his face. 

"Star Wars theme tune is stuck in his head. It's been playing on repeat for three hours." Tony said weakly. Pepper laughed softly, helping Tony off of the floor and steadying him on his feet. 

"Well, it's good to know someone shares your passion. How old is he now?" Pepper asked, steadying Tony on his feet. 

"Seven and a half," Tony answered, pulling back on his jacket. Pepper nodded her head, linking arms with Tony and leading him to the living room.

"Any luck finding him yet?" She asked, Tony hummed and shook his head. 

"Nope. No luck Pep." 

\---------------------

"Tony are you okay?" Steve asked gently. Tony promptly burst into tears, raising his hands and crying into his palms. 

"Woah, okay, what's happening?" Clint asked. 

"I hate twelve-year-olds!" Tony cried weakly. They all shared a confused and curious glance, then looking back at Tony who was still sobbing into his hands. 

"Uh, come again?" Bruce asked weakly. Tony sniffled loudly, wiping his nose on his sleeve, not bothering to wipe away the tear tracks down his face. 

"My platonic soulmate has had peel the Avacado stuck in his head for three weeks. Three weeks! And he never sleeps! I have not slept a solid eight hours in three weeks!" Tony cried, gesturing wildly in the air. 

"Uh, what's that song?" Steve asked quietly. Tony sighed, scrubbing his hands over his face. 

"Cue it up Jarvis, I want them to feel my pain."

\--------------------------

"What're you humming over there?" Laura teased. Tony looked up in a daze, pausing his hand as he poured the coffee. 

"Oh, my platonic soulmate is reciting the periodic table of elements," Tony said, a hint of a smile tugging at his lips. He was surprised Laura was awake, she was pregnant after all, Tony was just a maniac with insomnia. 

"Bet that's great for you." She said in amusement. Tony snorted, nodding his head and taking a sip of his coffee.

"Oh I wish I could help him, he's gotten up to ninety nine in three days. Very proud." Tony said softly, grinning now. Laura laughed softly. 

"Don't stay awake too long humming along with a thwelve-year-old."

\-----------------------

"The Anxiety protocol has been activated on level twenty-three sir," FRIDAY said overhead. Tony looked up from the table at the ceiling, cocking his head. 

"Who for?" Tony asked curiously. 

"Peter Parker sir. Low-level internship. He got top results in the exam sent to his school." FRIDAY said, Tony nodded slowly, stroking his chin in his hand. 

"Video feed please FRIDAY," Tony said quietly, ignoring the team who was watching Tony in curiosity. He winced when a hologram screen popped up, showing a boy on his hands and knees being couched through a vicious anxiety attack. 

"What's Parker's deal?" Tony asked. 

"Mr Parker was diagnosed with severe separation, social and general anxiety at age ten. His symptoms worsened after the death of his uncle, and he is now on several anxiety medications." FRIDAY listed. Tony nodded slowly, flicking the hologram away easily. The room was silent for several moments. 

"Anxiety protocol?" Sam asked expectantly. Tony glanced up at him, still holding his chin in his hand in thought.

"Oh that, I created that after my platonic soulmate had this song stuck in his head. I didn't recognise it so I got FRIDAY to look it up for me. Apparently he wrote it but it follows a specific pattern to calm anxiety. I created the protocol for my employees when I realised thirty per cent of them have anxiety diagnosis." Tony explained simply, waving his hand. 

"Why?" Wanda asked, Tony glanced at her and shrugged. 

"The kid sings it in his head almost every day. Freaks me out, he's worse than me. I spent all night making the protocol, hoping that it could help someone like him." Tony said dismissively. 

"Kid?" Bucky asked quietly. 

"Oh, started getting songs and beats in my head when I was sixteen that matched a one-year-old. He should be around thirteen or so now." Tony said while waving a hand. 

"Wow, surprised you haven't met him yet."

\----------------------------

"What was that?" Bucky asked quietly after the smashing of glass was heard. The team all sighed and stood up from their seats, walking into the kitchen and stopping, Tony frozen in the middle of the kitchen, glass smashed at his feet. 

"What the fuck. What the fuck. What the fuck. What the fuck." He muttered repeatedly. 

"Um, what the hell is going on?" Scott asked. Tony swallowed, looking up at the team with wide eyes. 

"I knew fourteen-year-olds were scary but what the fuck? I didn't listen to this shit when I was fourteen." Tony said incredulously. Scott rose an eyebrow and turned to Steve who shrugged his shoulders. 

"Um. Explain? Please?" Wanda said hesitantly. Tony nodded, blinking rapidly. 

"My platonic soulmate is weird. FRIDAY? Play Methhead freestyle please." Tony said. The team all stood in shock when the song started blaring out of the speakers. 

"I see why you always have headaches."

\--------------------------

"Who hurt you," Tony whispered, dropping his deck of UNO cards onto the coffee table, tears burning in his eyes. 

"Huh? I only got a plus two, no biggie." Clint said in dismissal. Tony screed his eyes shut. 

"No not that bird brain. My Platonic soulmate, he had tainted love stuck in his head." Tony said, tears threatening to spill. 

"Oh. How old is he now?" Sam asked. Tony counted on his fingers for a moment. 

"About fourteen," Tony said tiredly, tears spilling down his cheeks as the song switched to wrecking ball. 

"Ah. First, break up." Bucky said solemnly. Tony nodded, pulling one of the cushions off the couch and hugging it to his chest. 

"Why wrecking ball? Why?!" Tony cried. 

If Tony spent the next few days breaking into fits of sobs and reciting lyrics, the team randomly hugging him then no one was going to say anything.

\----------------------

"FRIDAY? Why does my soulmate have back in black stuck in their head?" Tony asked curiously, looking up from his blueprints with furrowed eyebrows. 

"It appears your taste in music has rubbed off on him sir." FRIDAY said in amusement. Tony hummed, shaking his head. 

"No, it's only three lines on repeat. Wait, when did this coffee get here?" Tony asked, staring at the coffee in confusion. 

"An intern, Peter Parker brought it up several moments ago." FRIDAY said, Tony rose an eyebrow, his back straightening. 

"Video clip FRI, with sound please." Tony said, staring at the hologram screen which showed Peter entering the lab with the coffees, FRIDAY telling him to put the coffees down as Tony was too absorbed in his work. The three lines playing in the lab were the ones stuck in his soulmates head. 

"Baby girl? I think I just found my platonic soulmate."

\---------------------------

"What're you doing up here kid? You lost?" Steve asked the boy who just stepped out of the elevator. The boy reddened dramatically, shaking his head. 

"Uh no Mr Rogers, Miss FRIDAY said I had to deliver these coffees up to this level. But uh, I don't know who they're for." He said sheepishly, his bangs falling over his glasses. 

"FRIDAY?" Natasha asked for confirmation. 

"Mr Stark sent for coffees specially delivered by Mr Parker," FRIDAY confirmed. Peter smiled weakly in response, raising the coffees for show. 

"Uh, why?" Clint asked hesitantly. Tony strolled into the room, locking eyes with Peter and taking the coffee from his hands. 

"Napkins?" Tony asked expectantly. Peter was frozen for a moment before reaching into his pocket and handing Tony a wad of Napkins. 

"I uh, I have to get back down to the labs. Uh, enjoy your coffees, sir." Peter said awkwardly, going to turn on his heel only for his wrist to be caugth by Tony, making him freeze. Tony winced when he noticed the tears burning in Peter's eyes, his wrist trembling in his grip and breathing erratic. 

"What song have you got stuck in your head kid?" Tony asked gently, dropping Peter's wrist. Peter's eyebrows furrowed, eyes narrowing and nose scrunching up in concentration. 

"Uh, Don't you forget about me by Simple minds? Um, what about you Sir?" Peter asked. Tony nodded to himself, a grin spreading across his features. 

"Back in Black by AC/DC." Tony said with a wide grin. Peter's mouth fell into an 'o', his cheeks reddening and hand dropping limply to his sides. 

"Oh. Hi, then I guess." Peter said awkwardly with a sheepish grin. Tony snorted. 

"Hi, kiddo. How old are you? Fifteen? Fourteen?" Tony asked. 

"Just turned fifteen sir." He answered. Tony rolled his eyes. 

"Drop the sir and Mr Stark, we're bound together for life kiddo. Get used to it." Tony drawled. Peter nodded mutely, drumming his thighs. 

"So, uh, do I go back to the labs now?" He said after a few moments. Tony rolled his eyes, linking arms with Peter and dragging him into the living room. 

"No way. I'm promoting you. Sit, I've been hearing your songs in my head since I was sixteen, I have a lot of questions." Tony said. Peter nodded, allowing Tony to push him into one of the many couches, flinching when Tony dropped into the seat beside him. 

"First, family?" Tony asked, Peter winced. 

"Uh, I'm an orphan, and I'm living with my last living relative, my aunt May," Peter said quietly, Tony winced and nodded. 

"She hot?" Tony asked. Peter snapped his head up to look at him, looking like he was ready to snap Tony's neck. 

"Famous or not I will not hesitate to break your spine." He spat. Tony raised his hands in defeat. 

"Sorry kid, I cover negative emotions with jokes. Sorry to hear about your parents, I hope you and your aunt are okay." Tony said soothingly. Peter nodded curtly, fisting the fabric of his jeans. Tony winced when the anxiety song started singing in his mind. 

"Calm down kiddo, no need to be anxious. I'm not going to kill you." Tony said gently, the song slowly faded until there was a gently tune playing in his mind. 

"What's that tune?" He asked quietly. Peter looked up at him and reddened. 

"My mum wrote it. She used to play it on the piano when I was a baby." Peter said quietly. Tony nodded, not minding the song at all. 

"You found your romantic soulmate yet?" He asked suddenly. Peter's cheeks reddened further, shaking his head frantically, his curls bounding around, raising his hands in defence. 

"No way, I'm only fifteen. May said she didn't find my uncle Ben until she was thirty, and my parents didn't find each other until they were twenty-six. Only a few of my friends have found their romantic soulmates so far." Peter rambled nervously. Tony nodded his head. 

"Where's your mark?" He asked. Peter reddened, lifting his shirt, showing the handprint on his sharp his bone. 

"Embarrassing right? I never take my shirt off in the change rooms." Peter said in humiliation. Tony waved his hand, parting his hair so Peter could see the red mark, meaning he'd found his soulmate. 

"Pepper hit me over the head first meeting we had together. Never been able to shave my head, not that I would look good mind you." Tony teased, Peter's grin widened. 

"No, no it wouldn't," Peter said back, Tony held an offended hand to his chest. 

"Excuse you, I'll have you know I am still Tony Stark." He teased. Peter rolled his eyes. 

"Dude you've already seen my soul mark, not even my aunt's seen that since I was like five." Peter sorted, waving his hand in dismissal. 

"Speaking of your aunt, I have to meet her. You're spending the night." Tony said, already tapping away on his phone. 

"Do I get a choice in this?" Peter asked, raising an eyebrow. 

"No. Plus I want to know more about that break up when you were fourteen. I didn't stop crying for three weeks."


	84. Dinosaur nuggets

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An-Peter's been taking care of his cousin since May died and Tony finds out, by extension the team find out as well

Yes, maybe Tony should have thought about it before he used the nanites to open Peter's front door when he didn't answer. Perhaps he should have thought about if Peter was out on patrol, maybe he had a girl over, or if Peter was just sleeping. What he didn't think about was Peter chasing after a four-year-old with pants. 

"I'm gonna get you! I'm gonna get you Rich!" Peter shouted, the four-year-old giggling madly as he continued the circles of the living room, running around the coffee table, the couches and the plant pots. 

"No! Pants are for losers!" Richie shouted. Peter feigned horror, dramatically flopping onto one of the couched, the back of his hand against his forehead. 

"Woe is me! I am a loser!" Peter exclaimed dramatically. 

"I agree." Tony said in amusement, hands tucked into his pockets. Richie froze then ran over to Peter, getting into his pants without any further protest and clambering up onto the couch, burying his face in Peter's chest in embarrassment. 

"How about you go get some of your toys. Bring them back and we'll have a play." Peter whispered, Richie looked up at him hopefully. Peter smiled widely, nodding his head and smiling wider when Richie jumped off of him and ran to his room. 

"Babysitting?" Tony asked, shoving Peter's legs off of the couch and sitting there. Peter shifted nervously, swallowing audibly. 

"Uh, no." He said, glancing at the open door and frowning, "How'd you get in?" He asked incredulously, standing up and closing the door with a soft click, locking it. 

"Nanites." Tony supplied, glancing around at the apartment. Since May had died Peter had moved into an apartment, at nineteen he already owned an apartment, mostly from the paycheck Tony gave him for working as his lab tech. 

"Curse them," Peter said quietly, tidying up random things, face screwed up in thought as Tony watched him closely. 

"If you aren't babysitting, who'd the kid?" Tony asked finally. Peter sighed, pausing his wiping off the kitchen counter, leaning against it and closing his eyes. 

"He's my cousin." He said quietly, Tony narrowed his eyes in thought. 

"I didn't know you had any other aunts or uncle's." He commented. Peter sighed again, turning his back towards Tony. 

"He's May and Ben's son." Peter said, so quiet Tony almost missed it. 

"He's, he's what?" Tony asked in confusion. Peter sighed, turning back to Tony and walking slowly then falling into the couch next to Tony. 

"When you came and recruited me for Germany May was only three months pregnant. She wasn't showing and when she started getting symptoms we didn't even consider pregnancy because Ben had been gone for three months. And when he was born I didn't tell you because we weren't talking and by the time we were it didn't feel right." Peter started to explain, glancing at Tony who was holding his chin in his hand. 

"So he's in the foster system?" Tony asked. Peter sighed and shook his head. 

"No, when May died I got custody. And I guess for a while it was me trying to protect him if you knew about him other people would too. But then it was me being scared of what you would say, because I'm nineteen and I'm raising my cousin." Peter said, nodding his head to himself, sniffling and wiping his nose. Tony stared at Peter, reaching for him and placing a hand on his shoulder. Peter looked up at him with tears in his eyes. 

"You're really something kid," Tony said in awe. Peter sniffled again, smiling slightly in Tony's direction. 

"I guess." He said quietly. 

"What's his name?" Tony asked after a long beat of silence. 

"Richard Benjamin Parker." Peter said with a wide smile. Tony nodded. 

"Lots of nicknames from that." Tony said, his grin widening when Richie came racing back into the room with several action figures backing zooming noises. Tony smiled even wider when Richie shoved an Iron man toy into his hands and a Spiderman into Peter's. Richie was holding a black widow action figure, zooming around the room happily.

"He doesn't know I'm spiderman." Peter whispered. Tony chuckled and dropped to his knees on the floor.

"Sure kid."

———————

Peter bristled lightly, not enjoying the feeling of the top button and tie pressing on his throat. Tony glanced around him and sighed, loosening the tie slightly so it was more comfortable. Tony was in a simple grey suit and Peter was in a navy blue.

"Just take some deep breaths Pete. You're safe in the tower and you're with me. They'll respect you, I promise." Tony soothed, flattening the arms of Peter's suit.

"That's not what I'm worried about. I'm worried about Richie. He's never been to daycare before. When I dropped him off my senses were going haywire." Peter said irritably, falling in step beside Tony as he started walking again. Tony chuckled lightly.

"I think that's your helicopter dad coming out Pete. Now, you ready to meet the Avengers for real." Tony asked, stopping in front of the meeting room door. Peter shrugged his shoulders weakly.

"I'm in a suit, my hairs done and I have nice shoes on, so, yes. I guess I am." He said nervously. Tony nodded curtly and opened the door for Peter to step into the room, stepping in after him and then closing the door with a soft click. He turned on his heel so he was facing Tony, his hands on his hips.

"You said everyone would be in suits." Peter said, narrowing his eyes. Tony shrugged his shoulders.

"I may have lied." Tony said quietly. Peter groaned, unbuttoning his blazer and pulling it off before Tony could protest.

"Why am I not surprised?" Peter said, unbuttoning the top button and loosening the tie.

"Sue me, I wanted to see you in a suit." Toky said, raising his hands in defeat.

"You've seen me in a suit before." Peter said.

"I don't mean a super-suit," Tony said.

"How many nineteen years olds do you know that actually own their own suits?" Peter asked.

"I know one now." Toky offered. Peter made a face and waved a hand.

"Good for you," Peter said.

"Is this normal?" Steve asked quietly from the table. Peter and Tony turned, glancing at each, then walking to the two free seats left over.

"Very." Toky said shortly, pushing Peter into his seat.

"Wait if you're nineteen that means you were fifteen in Germany." Clint blurted out.

"I dropped an airplane terminal on a fifteen year old?!" Steve shouted. Peter winced, ignoring Tony's glare at Steve.

"I was fine." Peter said in dismissal.

"Enough of your self sacrificing behaviour. As Peter is now over eighteen he's a part of the Avengers which means that he is entitled to being in this meeting." Tony said. Peter glanced at him, biting his thumbnail, his leg bouncing under the table. He zoned out for the majority of the conversation going on around him, practically staring a hole in the table.

"-Deroos, Pete, you with us?" Tony said, breaking Peter out of his daze.

"What? Oh yeah." Peter said, blushing madly.

"Spidey senses?" Toky asked. Peter nodded slowly, rubbing a hand through his hair and then over his face.

"Yeah, can't shake the feeling that something's going wrong," Peter said tiredly. Tony nodded in understanding.

"In the building?" Tony asked. Peter shook his head.

"No, not even close." Peter said in thought. Tony nodded and went back to his original conversation, Peter making points every few moments and joining in on the conversation. It was almost two hours later when FRIDAY interrupted.

"I apologise for my interruption but I have an urgent message for Mr Parker." She said. Peter stopped his sentence shirt, his blood running cold and face paling.

"Go ahead, baby girl," Tony said for him.

"Richard Parker is currently being taken to the hospital after an accident occurred at his daycare involving him and another boy. Peter is being requested on sight." FRIDAY said. Peter's heart just about stopped, jumping up from his seat and picketing his phone and wallet frantically, not even saying anything as he ran out of the room at full speed. Tony's face was pale as he stared after Peter, his mouth opening and closing in shock.

"Who's Richard Parker?" Clint asked curiously. Tony sighed, putting his head in his hands.

"That's not for me to tell," Tony said quietly, holding a hand over his mouth.

"And why did peter run out of the room like he was burnt?" Natasha asked. Tony sighed.

"That's not for me to tell either. Look we were just about done anyway, come up to the penthouse a have some snacks or something while we wait for Peter to get back."

———————

Tony looked up from his glass of water when the elevator door opened, out stepped a very ruffled and upset Peter who was crying quietly while holding a sleeping Richie. Tony jumped up from his seat and rushed over to Peter and Richie. 

"Tony I, I c-can't do this. I can't do this." He cried in a whisper. Tony shook his head, turning to the team who were all already on their feet, watching Peter who was cradling Richie's head to his shoulder, chest to chest with him. 

"Clint or Nat, you two know how to hold a kid," Tony instructed. Both of them rushed over and helped extract Richie from Peter's arms, settling him in Clint's, who shushed him lightly, rocking him. No one missed the massive gauze pad over Richie's right eye. Peter was trembling, his sleeves rolled up, tie hanging undone around his shoulder, belt slung over his shoulders, shoes untied and hair messed up by his hands. 

"Tony I don't, I don't think I can do this." Peter said, Tony screwed his face up, leading Peter to the lounges and pushing him into one of them. Peter automatically tugged off his shoes, Tony letting him curl up in his side. 

"Do what Pete?" Tony asked gently. Peter was still shaking violently.

"Richie. He, he deserves better Tony. Someone who can take care of him and keep him safe, and, and love him more then I can. He deserves better Tony." Peter cried desperately. Tony shushed him, cupping Peter's face in his hands, forcing him to look up at him.

"No. Peter do not say that to yourself. You have sacrificed everything for Richie. You give him everything. Your time, your love, your everything. You have done everything to make sure that he has clothes, a bed to sleep in, a roof over his head, food to eat, toys to play with, water to drink. You give him everything Peter, you give him you. You have never stopped at anything to make sure that he is safe and sound, that he sleeps without nightmares and that he has good dreams." Tony said firmly, wiping away the tears spilling out of Peter's eyes.

"Ben and May would be ashamed," Peter said softly. Tony shook his head.

"Peter, they would be so proud of you. There is no one better to take care of Richie then you. They wouldn't be proud to have their son raised by you, because you could never go wrong. That boy is going to grow up just like you, strong, smart, caring, intelligent and unapologetically himself." Toky said. Peter sniffled, wiping his face hurriedly.

"I just don't want him to go through everything I did. If I hadn't gotten bitten by that stupid spider he wouldn't be at daycare and he wouldn't have gotten hurt. I would have been there, I should have never let him go and listened to my senses." Peter said desperately. Tooy shook his head again.

"Peter, you couldn't have predicted what happened and you couldn't have stopped it. He's alive isn't he?" Tony said. Peter nodded his head.

"Yeah. He is." Peter said. Tony nodded his head, knowing peter had calmed down now.

"What happened anyway?" He asked.

"He and another boy were playing with sticks. Richie slipped and cut himself open. There's no damage to his eyes, just his eyes lid and his eyebrow. It's gonna scar and he'll have to have the gauze on for a few weeks until it heals enough. Tons of stitches." Peter said in explanation. Tony nodded, he was going to say something just when Natasha ran back into his room.

"Peter, we don't know what to do. He woke up screaming and Clint can't get him down." She said urgently. Peter jumped up from the couch, walking around the couch just as Richie and Clint came into the room, Richie wiggling and fighting in Clint's arms.

"I want my daddy!" He shouted. Peter paled, fresh tears slipping down his face as Clint dropped a Richie to the floor who came running at Peter.

"Rich, daddy isn't here anymore," Peter said as gently as he could. Richie shook his head, ramming into Peter's legs.

"But you're my daddy." He said quietly. Peter was frozen, his hands hovering just above Richie's head, who was hugging Peter's legs as tightly as he could. Tony watched as Peter slowly sunk to the floor, sitting cross-legged infront of Richie and holding his jaw in his hands.

"Why do you think that?" Peter asked quietly. Richie shrugged, letting Peter wipe his eyes and nose.

"Cause you pick me up from daycare. And you make dinosaur nuggets on Saturdays. And you tuck me in at night. And you play action figures with me. And you help me with my ABC's. And you give the best hugs. And, and you play lightsabers with me, and, and watch Star Wars with me, and you give me kisses." Richie rambled, finishing with a hesitant smile. A wide smile grew on Peter's face as fresh tears spilled down his cheeks, only to be wiped away by Richie's small hands. Peter chuckled, pulling Richie into his lap, hugging him hard and swaying them side to side as he closed his eyes firmly and cried into Richie's shoudler, his shoulders shaking. Richie has a serious look on his face as he wrapped his arms around Peter's neck.

"Don't cry. You aren't allowed to cry when you're getting hugs." Richie said. Peter sniffled, pulling back and pressing a very wet kiss onto Richie's forehead.

"You are so right. Let's annoy Tony instead. He made me wear a suit today. Can you believe that Rich?" Peter asked playfully. Richie looked to Tony, Peter's arms still around him.

"Suits are for losers." He said seriously. The team couldn't hold back their laughter as Peter's face reddened.

"I'm sorry he has this thing of calling people losers," Peter explained weakly. Tony nodded seriously.

"No. I understand. People who wear suits are indeed losers." Tony said. Richie giggled, tugging on Peter's arm for him to get up and drag him over to the couches.

Hours later Peter was back down on the couch with a Richie sprawled out on top of him. Tony smiled to himself with tears in his eyes as he pulled a blanket over them.

"What's got you in tears?" Clint whispered. Tony sighed, pulling off Richie's shoes and putting them beside Peter's.

"He's not fifteen anymore. He's just, he's so much better then I could ever be. And he's so much better then he thought he could ever be." Toky said softly, brushing Peter's hair out of his face.

"Brave kid." Steve said quietly.

"Bravest. He took Richie in as his own when Ben and May died, and he loves him like his own kid. And I guess Richie loves peter like his dad." Tony said, shifting Richie on Peter's chest so he wouldn't wake up with a sore neck.

"Kids everything we are and more," Natasha said, looming over the couch with the rest of the team. Tony nodded his head.

"Too much love for one kid."


	85. Penthouse clean-up

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An-The team walk up to the penthouse to find a baby asleep on Tony's chest (OG avengers + Bucky)

"Wow, the penthouse is a mess. Did anyone get an invite to one of his parties?" Bruce asked, stepping around a small pile of clothes near the elevator. 

"No, Tony said he stopped having parties in the penthouse." Steve said, cringing at the pile of dishes in the sink. 

"Maybe, but he would never let the penthouse get this messy unless he had a very big excuse," Clint said. Natasha made a small noise as she leaned over one of the couches, finding a very sleep ruffled and deprived Tony, with a sleeping baby on his chest, who was drooling on him, a curly mess of hair and in soft blue pyjamas.

"I think I found a big excuse." She said, waving the team over who surrounded the couch slowly. 

"Who's baby did he steal?" Bucky asked, nearly cooing at the baby who was drolling on Tony's arc reactor through his shirt. 

"Not stolen. He looks like baby Tony in those photos we found in his lab." Bruce said. Natasha hummed, eyeing the blanket sprawled over Tony's lower body, his arms wrapped around the baby tightly. 

"He looks stressed out of his mind." She said quietly, brushing Tony's hair out of his face and running her fingers through it. 

"We could help out a little. You know, put his clothes in the laundry shoot, do the dishes, go grocery shopping, vacuum and mop." Steve offered, pulling the blanket up so it was covering Tony's chest and the babies back. 

"Fine idea Stevie. I call the dishes." Bucky said, patting Steve's shoulders and already walking off. 

Almost an hour later the team had managed to clean the entire penthouse, Natasha even folding the stack of brand new baby clothes with their tags still on, packing them neatly into the very very new and neat nursery. It was the only room in the penthouse Tony had managed to keep clean. The penthouse was as clean as if it hadn't been messy at all, and the team were sitting around the living room watching Tony and the baby sleep. 

"If he's still sleeping through that noise he must be struggling," Bruce said quietly. As if he'd flipped a twitch Tony started shifting, the blanket falling to the floor as he sat up, still holding the baby tightly to his chest who was blinking blearily and making small noises. 

"Shh, shh, you're okay. Just gettin' up. Nap times over." He cooed at the baby who calmed down quickly and babbled up at Tony who smiled wide at him. 

"Oh, you're making me soft Pete. I'm gonna be _that_ dad aren't I?" Tony asked the baby who let out a quiet giggle, making Tony coo again. They watched with a soft smile as Tony slowly stood up, shifting Peter so he was in Tony's arms. Tony narrowed his eyes at the now clean coffee table, slowly looking up and finding the team sitting and watching him. 

"Ooooh, noodles, I forgot I told you guys to come up today," Tony said tiredly. Natasha smiled easily. 

"Noodles?" She asked. Tony rolled his eyes and picked up the blanket. 

"I'm trying to stop swearing. Look at this little man? Could you ever imagine him swearing?" Tony asked, ducking his head to Peter, who was poking at the humming arc reactor through his shirt. 

"You just don't want Pepper to kill you for making a baby swear." Bruce deadpanned. Tony nodded his head. 

"That too." He said seriously. The room was silent for several minutes save for Peter's small noises and quiet babbling. 

"He's gonna be a talker," Bucky said solemnly. Tony snorted and poked Peter's nose, making him wrap his tiny fingers around Tony's finger. 

"You gonna introduce us?" Steve teased. Tony nodded slowly, sitting back down. 

"His name is Peter Benjamin-Edward Parker-Stark," Tony said, turning Peter around in his lap so he was sitting. Peter was still for a moment before his face broke into a wide smile, giggling loudly and swinging his legs. 

"He's got the Tony Stark charm," Natasha said seriously, before smiling at Peter who looked extremely happy to be getting attention. 

"Hmm, most of it. I think that's just Peter charm." Tony said, kissing Peter's head where there was an impressive amount of curly hair on his head. 

"Who's the mother?" Bucky asked. Tony sighed, glad Thor wasn't here, Peter had already freaked out when FRIDAY spoke overhead. 

"Lady I worked with a year ago when I set up the genetic research facility. It was innocent, we went out for drinks in celebration. I actually really liked her and I was going to ask her on a real date, no sleeping with her or anything. But we got drunk, she didn't tell me she was married and dropped off of the face of the Earth." Tony swallowed, holding Peter tightly who was still babbling and giggling loudly. 

"Nine months later there were reports everywhere about her and her husband being killed in a car crash and her mystery child who was being taken into CPS custody until they could find the biological father. I got my whole legal team in, Pepper, Rhodey, everyone. We did a DNA test and it was a match. So I have custody, and he was nameless so we had to figure out a name for him. I decided to contact his living relatives, who come over regularly and visit Peter, if they wanted input." Tony explained, smiling fondly at Peter who was looking up at him. 

"Peter is his grandfather on his mother's side, Benjamin his uncle who died a few months before he was born in a shooting, Edward for JARVIS, and we hyphenated his mothers and my last names." Tony finished, shrugging his shoulders. The team were silent for several minutes, watching Tony interacting Peter with fondness and gentleness they'd never seen. 

"You really love him don't you?" Clint asked. Tony hummed. 

"Yes. A little ball of sunshine and he makes everything easy. Eats what I give him, lets me put him in the clothes I want, sleeps through the night, giggles when he gets his baths, always wants me to play with him though. I don't think I've been in the lab more than six hours a day." Tony said, with voice clogged with happiness, tears gathering in his eyes. 

"How much sleep have you been getting?" Bruce asked suspiciously. Tony sniffled. 

"Not much." He said weakly. Natasha smiled, standing up and planting herself in front of Tony and Peter. 

"Well, I set out some clothes for you on your bed, which has new sheets on it. Everyone helped clean the penthouse." Natasha said. Tony let a few overwhelmed tears slip out of his eyes. 

"You didn't have to do that." He said quietly, sniffling again. Natasha waved her hand. 

"This is hard for you too. Just let yourself take at least an hour. Take a shower, shave your face, put some new clothes on. We'll take care of Peter." Natasha said, making grabby hands for Peter who was babbling up at her. Tony sighed, gently handing Peter off into Natasha's arms and standing up. He brushed Peter's hair out of his face, kissing his forehead a few times and then walking off without any complaint from Peter. 

"Look at you. You're such a cute little man." Natasha cooed, rubbing her nose against Peter who was kicking his legs in excitement, scrunching his fingers. 

"So chubby." Bucky cooed, standing up from his seat and holding one of Peter's hands in his own, letting Petet hold tightly to his fingers. The team were slightly off-put by Bucky's outright adoration of Peter. 

"Look at those eyes," Bruce said, also standing up and poking at Peter's cheek who took the attention happily. Peter had brown and green eyes, swirled together. 

"I feel like Tony's not gonna get his baby back." Clint teased, also standing up. Steve hummed, joining Bucky in holding Peter's other hand. 

"Imagine the field day reporters would have. Tony Stark's secret baby kidnapped by teammates." He said in amusement. Peter turned his head to Steve, pulling his hands out of Steve's and Bucky's, making grabby hands up at Steve who paled. 

"I've never held a baby before." He said quietly. Natasha grinned wickedly, moving Steve's hands and slowly and gently handing Peter to him, supporting his head and back, sitting down slowly. 

"This is adorable." She said firmly, swiftly pulling out her phone and snapping a photo of Steve and Peter. 

"No, he's adorable." Steve countered. 

"No fights there."


	86. Taken

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An-When Steve goes to investigate Bucky's apartment he finds him and his son, Peter (Russian in Italics) (I'm writing it that Steve told Tony everything Bucky did) (Elements of Tony x Bucky)

"Bucky I need you to come with me," Steve said sternly, pulling his left arm behind his back and signalling to Natasha. He could faintly hear her creeping up the steps as he stared Bucky down.

"No." He said firmly, his own eyes darting around to room, briefly up to the ceiling where Peter was stuck, staring straight at the door.

"Buck, you have to. If you don't some very angry people are going to hurt you." Steve said, by now Natasha was just outside the doorway waiting for Steve's go ahead.

"I get hurt whether I go with you or not," Bucky said, taking a step closer. It happened so quickly, Natasha bursting into the apartment, fun trained on Bucky's forehead and Peter dropping from the ceiling at the same time so it was pointed at him.

" _Peter what are you doing?_ " Bucky seethed, placing a frantic hand on Peter's shoulder and attempting to pull him out of the way but Peter wasn't budging.

" _We both know you've saved my life too many times to count. I'm repaying the favour."_ Peter said, but Bucky, Steve and Natasha all heard the tremor in his voice, and if Bucky was right Peter had tears in his eyes.

" _You're scared_." He said quietly. Peter let out a harsh breath of air, his hands raised in the air.

" _Of course I am. You're the one person who's taken care of me for as long as I can remember, and you're ready to throw your life away._ " Peter said shakily.

" _Because you deserve better Peter!_ " Bucky exclaimed. Peter shook his head.

" _So do you, James. But if we keep running neither of us will get better. If we go with them we don't have to run. If you go with them you don't have to run. Where you go I follow, because I trust you with my life._ " Peter said firmly. Bucky's eyes were wide, jaw clenched as his eyes flickered tot he back of Peter's head, Steve's surprised and confused face and Natasha's narrowed eyes.

"Put the gun down. _Pete lets get our packs I don't think we'll be coming back here if this punk gets his way._ " Bucky said. Steve stayed still for several moments before placing his hand on the barrel of the gun, lowering it slowly. Peter visibly relaxed, a few tears escaping as he slowly leant down, prying up several floorboards and pulling out two identical backpacks, handing one to Bucky who took it with a nod.

"Do this often?" Natasha asked. Peter snorted as he looked through his own pack, making sure he had his photo album.

"Somewhat."

———————

"You can put your packs here," Steve instructed. Bucky and Peter followed his direction, putting the packs on one of the lounges on the common room, only a few feet away from the elevator.

"Something's going to happen." Peter whispered, leaning his chin on Bucky's shoulder so he could whisper into his ear without anyone else hearing. Bucky turned his head, keeping his eyes on the elevator and the stair door.

"You're sure?" He whispered. Peter hummed, eyes flickering to the window.

"Only I'm in danger. But I'm not leaving without you." Peter whispered firmly. Bucky nodded his head once curtly.

"Exits?" Bucky asked. The rest of the team were talking to themselves while Peter and Bucky stayed close together. Peter was silent for several moments.

"Window. I can catch both of us but I'll need to build up enough force to break it. You can't open them unless you have the permission of the artificial intelligence Stark used to make the elevator move." Peter said. Bucky inclined his head, narrowing his eyes.

"How do you know that?" He asked. Peter hummed, pointing discretely to wires hidden by a small pipe not noticible with normal eyes.

"Those, they're connected to the window and into the sensors in the ceiling." Peter explained. Bucky was about to say something when the elevator doors slid open, outstepping several shield agents holding guns and dressed in armour, several of them holding cattle prods. Bucky and Peter reeled back, both holding tightly to each other, Peter's frantic grip on Bucky's arm was already bruising. When he looked at the couch for their packs they were gone, making him have the same reaction as Peter, erratic breathing, wide eyes and open mouth.

"We are here to collect one enhanced identified by the name Peter, accompanied by James Barnes." One of the agents said. Peter looked frantically to Bucky for help as the agents surrounded them.

" _James what's going on?_ " Peter asked, tears welling up in his eyes, body trembling.

"I don't know." He whispered frantically.

"Hand over the enhanced and no one gets hurt." Another agent said. Bucky only held peter tighter, pulling him in front of himself and wrapping his arms around peter.

"You're not touching him." He growled. When he saw Steve step through the circle of agents he relaxed slightly, thinking that Steve would help him.

"Everything's okay Buck. I promise." He said gently, putting a comforting hand on Bucky's shoulder, Peter and Bucky made eye contact for a moment before he slowly retracted his arms, putting his trust in Steve. He cried out when Steve our a firm hand around Peter's upper arm, pushing him towards the agents. It happened so fast, Peter was getting his hands tied behind his back, a collar put around his neck and hair being pulled back, pushing him to his knees so they could tie his ankles together behind his back.

"NO!" Bucky screamed, attempting to lunge forward, only to be held back by Steve who was holding Bucky's arms behind his back.

"James! Help me! _Don't let them take me!_ " Peter begged desperately, fighting the agents hold on his body urgently, tears slipping out of his eyes and pooling on the floor.

"Let go of me! I have to help him!" Bucky screamed, fighting as much as possible with Steve whose face was unreadable. Bucky cried out when one of the agents rose their cattle prod, pressing it into Peter's back backing him spasm, eyes rolling into the back of his head.

"James please! Bucky _help me_!" Peter screamed.

" _I'm trying!_ Peter no, no don't take him!" Bucky screamed back, tears of his own welling up in his eyes.

"Everything going to be okay Buck, just let it happen." Steve tried to soothe, only making Bucky fight him harder.

"Let go of me! I need to help him! Peter! NO DONT HURT HIM! TAKE ME INSTEAD! PLEASE!" Bucky screamed, breaking a hand free from Steve's hold. He screamed again when the cattle prod was pressed repeatedly into Peter's back.

"Dad! Dad, please! Please don't let them take me!" Peter screamed, spasming on the floor. That broke Bucky's heart, screaming his throat raw as they dragged him off, Steve's hand still holding him firmly in place. He was powerless to do anything to help as the elevator doors closed and Steve finally let go of him. He whirled around and took two handfuls of Steve's first.

"You know about this?" He seethed, voice broken and cracking. Steve nodded curtly.

"Why?! Why would you do that?!" Bucky shouted desperately.

"I had to! I had to if you were going to be safe!" Steve shouted. Bucky shook Steve by his shirt.

"I don't care about me! I care about him! He's just a kid! He didn't do all that fucked up shit! I DID! HE HAD A CHANCE TO BE MORE THEN A WEAPON! I'M ALWAYS GOING TO BE BROKEN! HE WILL GET BETTER! THAT'S WHY I CAME! HE DESERVES BETTER! HE'S A JUST A KID! AND HE'S IN A COLLAR AND THEY'RE USING A CATTLE PROD ON HIM! YOU BASTARD! YOU SELFISH BASTARD! I SHOULD KILL YOU! WHAT KIND OF HERO ARE YOU?!" Bucky screamed in Steve's face, his previously tidy hair that Peter had tied behind his head in the car falling over his face. Tears rolling down his cheeks in a constant stream, wetting his shirt.

"They didn't tell me they were going to do that." Steve said quietly. Bucky shook him vigorously again.

"And that excuses what you did?! He doesn't remember anything before HYRDA! He was tortured relentlessly! So much that he forgot! He refused to hurt or to kill! No matter how much they brainwashed him and tortured him!" Bucky screamed.

"I didn't want them to hurt him!" Steve shouted in defence.

"But they did! And they are! He's just a kid!" Bucky shouted. Bucky flinched violently when someone placed their hands on his shoulders, rubbing circles into his tense muscles, forcing him to relax slightly.

"We're gonna get home back. I promise." They said, and then Bucky realised who it was, Tony. And suddenly that made it all the more worse, the man he'd hurt the most was comforting him.

"That was the first time he called me dad." He whispered, slowly letting go of Steve shirt and dropping his arms uselessly to his sides.

"And there's going to be lots more times." Tony soothed, leading Bucky to one of the couches and pushing Bucky into it gently. He grabbed the hidden packs out of nowhere and placed them at Bucky's feet. Bucky wordlessly dug through Peter's pack, pulling out the only photo they had together, after Peter broke out and joined Bucky. He stared at it, tears dripping into his hands. He suddenly realised this was the first time he'd ever allowed himself to cry. He wordlessly stared at the photo, vaguely registering Steve and Tony fighting in the background.

"I'll get you back."

——————

"Get your damn hands off of him," Bucky growled, stepping forward but stopping when Tony set a hand on his shoulder.

"Take the handcuffs off boys. And the collar too." Tony said coldly. The agent nodded curtly, undoing the handcuffs and then the collar, stepping away from Peter. Peter stood stiffly and silent, eyes darting around the room, finally finding Bucky's. Bucky nodded slowly, tears welling in Peter's he was he rushing forward and crashing into Bucky, arms wrapped around his shoulders and legs around his waist locking arms his ankles, clinging to Bucky like a koala. Although there were tears in Peter's eyes he didn't shed them, burying his head in Bucky's shoulder as Bucky held him tightly, squeezing his eyes shut.

" _Different clothes_." He whispered. Peter hummed.

" _Issued_." He responded. Bucky hummed, one arm around Peter's torso and their other cradling the back of his head.

" _I thought I'd never see you again. I, I thought you were gone for good_." Bucky breathed. He finally noticed Peter's tears soaking his shirt, tiny whimpering noises escaping his lips.

" _I thought I was going back there. I thought, I thought I'd be gone for good and they'd get what they wanted from me. And you wouldn't be there to protect me_." Peter breathed fisting Bucky's shirt in his hands. Bucky shook his head.

" _No. No I'd never let you go back. I'd never let them take you again_." Bucky said firmly, holding peter impossibly tighter. They were silent for several moments.

"They treated me like an animal. Like HYDRA." He said, finally switching back to English, his voice soft and without attention.

"They're supposed to be good." Bucky said quietly. Peter nodded into his shoulder.

"They put this gag in my mouth, it had um, it had lemon and chlorine in it. And I had a straight jacket on, like when I first came to HYDRA. And they tied my legs behind my back. I threw up so many times they had to roll me over." Peter whispered, eyes glassy, tears rolling down his cheeks.

"Never again. Never." Bucky said firmly. Peter nodded into his shoulder, not moving an inch as Bucky walked around one of the couches and sitting slowly, still holding Peter tightly, who was slowly falling asleep on Bucky. Bucky didn't even mind, Peter was here, safe, warm, with Bucky.

" _Love you, dad._ " Peter said quietly, snuggling closer to Bucky who cradling Peter's head to his shoulder.

" _Love you too._ " He breathed. After several minutes Peter was fast asleep on top of Bucky who was being watched closely by the team.

"How old is he?" Wanda asked suddenly.

"We don't know. He can't remember anything but his name and his stay at HYDRA and when he was with me. We think he's about sixteen." Bucky said quietly, burning this memory into his mind. Tony was right, they'd gotten him back. He'd also made sure no one would ever be able to take and Bucky and Peter again, making sure Bucky's name was cleared.

"What is his name?" Clint asked.

"Peter. That's all we know." Bucky said awkwardly. Clint nodded slowly and suck back into his couch.

"Looks like this happens a lot," Tony commented, gesturing to Peter clinging to Bucky's front, sleeping soundly.

"Yeah. When he first came to HYDRA he'd spend days being tortured, so much that he couldn't even remember how to speak, or walk, or eat, or drink. They put him with me, just pushed him in and he fell to the floor and just lay there. He gets cold really really easily, and I didn't know what to do, there was only one mattress and he was shivering so I pulled him into the bed with me. It started happening every night and he slowly remembered how to do things and with my help, he could do thinks semi-normal like before." Bucky said. Tony nodded slowly, narrowing his eyes at Peter and Bucky.

"Why do you think they put him in with you?" He asked. Bucky laughed bitterly.

"To make me care. They knew what they were doing. I was and am protective of him, I let myself get punished so he wouldn't. I gave him the food and water because they only put one serving through the door. I helped him train so he wouldn't get killed in the sparring matches. They made me do things, worse things then I've ever done or they said they'd hurt him." Bucky explained weakly, freezing as peter shifted in his sleep, withdrawing his legs from behind Bucky and pressing his side against Bucky's front, Bucky's arms still wrapped tightly around him.

"So my father?" T'challa asked quietly, having send the footage of Peter being taken he believed Bucky.

"They were going to give him a prosthetic," Bucky said softly, looking down at peter.

"But he doesn't have a scratch on him," Scott said quietly. Realisation dawned across the room, taking in the scars peeking out of his sleeves, his collar, his pants legs and even his hair. T'challa about to say something more when Peter suddenly jumped off of Bucky's chest. He was holding Bucky's arm tightly, bruising making Bucky wince. He slid off of Bucky's lap, sitting down next to him, staring down at the floor. 

"Peter? Are you okay?" Bucky asked, prying Peter's hand off of his arm with a wince and holding his wrists tightly. 

"Peter Benjamin Paker. That's my name." He whispered. Bucky's eyes widened dramatically. 

"Okay. We can work with that." Bucky said quietly. Peter nodded slowly. 

"Learn something new every day." He said, still completely rigid. Bucky nodded. 

"You remember how to move? Tony made up a room for you." Bucky said. Peter turned his head slowly, narrowing his eyes at Tony. 

"Are you famous? Cause I recognise you." Peter said slowly. Tony was silent, looking to Bucy for help. 

"That's good. That's association." Bucky said, nodding his head as Peter nodded in agreement. 

"I can't really walk right now." He said quietly. Bucky nodded, helping Peter off of the couch, supporting him on his side. The two disappeared down the hallway, muttering to each other, Peter only stumbling slightly. 

"So. What now?"

\--------------------

"Apple juice? Really?" Tony asked Peter, sounding extremely unimpressed. Peter narrowed his eyes at him, placing his glass down on the counter. 

"You're one to talk. Cranberry juice?" Peter asked. Peter was the only one Tony allowed to joke about his cranberry juice, which he'd started drinking to stop drinking alcohol. 

"You should try it." Tony offered. Peter made a face and rolled his eyes, picking back up his glass and sitting between Tony and Bucky. 

"Oh, we have to get you new shoes today," Bucky said. Peter's hand paused around his glass, swirling the apple juice in the glass. 

"What's wrong with the shoes I have now?" He asked, more a whine though. 

"I hate to break it to you, but you run around so much that your shoes are practically being held together by duct tape." Tony teased. He was expecting a jab back from Peter except Peter continued swirling his juice. 

"What's the date today?" He asked quietly, his voice far away and quite, tears pooling in his eyes. 

"Tenth of August. Why?" BUcky asked. Peter paused, placing his glass down on the countertop. 

"I think it's my birthday." He said simply. Bucky was silent, frozen as he stared at Peter who'd shrunken into himself, leaning towards Bucky slightly. 

"How do you know that?" Tony asked gently, pushing Peter's glass away from the edge.

"2001." He said quietly. Tony rose an eyebrow at the response. 

"What happened in 2001?" Bucky asked, pulling Peter into a side hug as Peter started shaking. 

"I was born. Yeah, it's my birthday today." Peter said, a small smile growing on his face as he looked up at Bucky. Bucky nodded slowly, hugging Peter tightly. 

"Sweet Sixteen," Tony said in amusement. Peter snorted, yanking Tony into the hug. 

"I guess we don't _have_ to go shoe shopping today."


	87. Bestfriends

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An-Age of Ultron Era where Tony has to bring his twelve-year-old son to Clint's farm for safety. The team are curious who Tony's calling
> 
> Request from wattpad, username either lost or forgotten

"Okay. If anyone has some secret family that they need to get here right now right this second Laura will give you the coordinates." Clint said slowly. Everyone nodded, shrugging their shoulders and sitting around the living room. They were all surprised when Tony slowly stood up and walking into the kitchen where Laura was waiting.

"Wow. Clint, I kind of expected. But Tony?" Steve asked incredulously. Natasha cocked her head slightly, narrowing her eyes.

"Well, it makes sense. He stopped drinking around twelve years ago for zero reasons at all. The rooms in the penthouse are blocked off from everyone but him and Happy. He constantly skips out on meetings and missions with an excuse that Fury accepts." Natasha listed.

"It's just, Tony? Like, Tony Stark." Clint said in confusion. They all stopped when Tony came back into the room, phone pressed to his ear.

"Yes. Yes. Okay good. Fracture or break? Shit is he okay? A cast? Okay just get him in the car as soon as possible. He knows where his emergency bag is. He already has it? Okay good. You've got the coordinates? Good. Okay good. Just, just get here as soon as possible." Toky said, desperation and fear bleeding into his voice as he said his goodbyes and hung up the phone. He sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose and putting his phone face down on the coffee table.

"Who was that?" Bruce asked quietly. Tony glanced up at him and sighed.

"Happy was on the phone." He said tiredly.

"No, whoever you were fretting about?" Natasha said. Tony waved his hand.

"You'll find out when you get here." He excused. He was glad Thor was outside in the barn with the horses because right now he was pretty sure his head was splitting open.

"How long till they're here?" Clint asked worriedly. Tony glanced down at his watch.

"Around an hour or two. They'll be here by sundown." Tony said, leaning back into the couch and closing his eyes.

After that, the team spent most of their energy calming Tony down, then giving up and watching him pace in the living room with a hand covering his mouth and the other on his hip. He stopped when he heard the sound of wheels rolling over gravel in the doorway. He threw open the front door and broke into a sprint, the car came to a quick stop, the back door flung open by a young boy who dropped to the floor.

"Peter!" Tony shouted, running up to the boy, hugging him around his middle and lifting him off of the ground.

"Dad!" Peter shouted back, wrapping one arm around Tony's shoulders, the other in a red cast hanging by his side.

"Oh my god. You're okay. You're okay." Tony cried, holding Peter so tight he started wheezing.

"Yeah, other than the arm," Peter said with a wide smile. Tony suddenly dropped him, taking Peter's face in his hands. He turned Peter's face in his hands before checking his neck then torso, lifting up his shirt.

"You're covered in cuts and bruises Pete you are not okay," Tony said shakily. Peter made a face and pushed his shirt back down, slapping Tony's hands away.

"Dad. I'm fine." Peter said firmly. Tony pulled Peter into another hug, lifting him off of the ground.

"Oh my god. I was so worried. I thought, Jesus I thought when you didn't answer your phone you were hurt or, or you were dead." Tony was cut off by Peter who took a turn hold of his hair and pulling him back so Tony was forced to look at him.

"Dad. I'm fine. I did everything we've always talked about. I went under my bed when the alarm went off. Some of the glass from my window went under the bed but nothing got lodged. When I rolled out when I thought it was safe my bookcase fell. It was my fault because I didn't wait until Happy came and got me. Happy has already given me pain medication and I can move my fingers still. We've already disinfected all of the cuts and put salve on the bruises. I'm okay dad." Peter said firmly. Tony nodded his head, making Peter let go.

"I'm so glad you're okay." He said softly. Peter hummed, allowing himself to finally enjoy the hug.

"So am I. When those robots came I thought you were gonna do something stupid like when you flew yourself into that portal," Peter said, sniffled. Tony hummed.

"I love you, Peter, you know that right?" Tony asked, looking back up at Peter's face, still holding Peter off of the ground.

"Yes, I do. You tell me every day and I always have the same response. I love you too. Now can you put me down?" Peter asked in exasperation. Tony grinned, turning on his heel with Peter still held off on the ground.

"Nope." He said. Peter rolled his eyes, trying to push himself out of Tony's grip with one hand.

"Really? You're so annoying." Peter whined, making a face as he could only see Happy smiling wickedly at him.

"Happy if you don't get that smile off of your face I'm disabling the divisor in the car!" Peter shouted. Happy smile promptly dropped, making Peter stick his tongue out at Happy.

"I can practically feel you being a brat," Toky said sarcastically making peter giggle.

"I'm always a brat." He said happily. Toky hummed.

"Indeed you are," Tony said seriously. The team were watching Tony walk towards them with smiles, Tony shifting Peter in his arms and throwing him over his shoulder so he was holding the backs of Peter's knees.

"You are more childish than me something's, you know that right?" Peter asked as Tony stopped.

"I'm aware of that fact." He said. Peter hummed, setting his elbows on Tony's back and putting his chin in his hands.

"So Tony Stark has a son?" Natasha teased. Tony rolled his eyes when Peter twisted so he could see the team.

"He does. And if he doesn't put said child down in going to start hitting his back." Peter said. Tony rolled his eyes again and put Peter back down on the floor. Peter had a very unimpressed look on his face as he straightened his shirt and pulled his jeans up slightly.

"I already have a broken arm. I don't need a broken spine." Peter said. Tony snorted and put his hands on Peter's shoulders, forcibly turning him around so he was facing the team. Peter grinned sheepishly, his hair now more a mess than before, pushing up his glasses and his braces shining in the light.

"Peter Stark. Nice to meet you." He said, attempting to put his hands on his hips, only for his cast to slip.

"That's inconvenient." He mumbled. Tony laughed, putting his arm around Peter's shoulders.

"You need to get better at dramatic entrances kiddo," Tony said. Peter looked up at him with narrowed eyes.

"You carried me in over your shoulder. I didn't think I can get anymore simultaneously humiliated and dramatic at the same time." Peter said. Tony snorted, running his hand through Peter's hair in an attempt to tidy it.

"Dad! Lila broke the front window!" Cooper shouted, running out of the house and almost tripping in his haste to stand next to clint.

"Great. I have another window to fix. Do you kids have any concept of sustainability?" Clint asked in exasperation. Cooper shook his head with a wide smile.

"Nope!" He said happily. Clint rolled his eyes and turned Cooper around.

"Well, no matter. Apparently Tony has a kid your age." He said. Cooper narrowed his eyes, stepping up to Peter who was grinning madly.

"When's your birthday?" Cooper asked.

"Tenth of August 2001," Peter said. Cooper's mouth fell open.

"No way! Same here! Woah we have the same birthday!" Cooper shouted. Peter nodded his head, not used to something with so much energy. Cooper promptly grabbed Peter's hand and started dragging him off.

"He is simultaneously so much like you but so different," Steve said seriously.

"Did you see those braces?" Bruce asked.

"He hates those things. He gets a new wire fitted every month and I practically have to drag him by his shirt to get him there." Tony grumbled.

"He looks like he doesn't know how to make friends though," Clint commented. Tony made a small noise.

"That's because he doesn't. He literally only has one friend back home. Maybe I won't have to hear Ned in every single sentence now." Tony said. Clint snorted, clapping Tony on the back.

"I have a feeling they're gonna best friends by the time you leave though."


	88. Dead to me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An- "I thought you said your parents were dead. They are. To me." Quote
> 
> Peter didn't tell everything there is to know about his parents, so when they come back, angst
> 
> TW-Mentions of physical and sexual abuse

"Hey Pete, I need to talk to you," Tony said quietly, leaning on the doorframe. He was still uncomfortable with the team and Peter being in the same room, but he knew Peter could protect himself well enough. Peter looked up with a dazed smile on his face from his book.

"Yeah?" Peter asked. Tony shifted slightly.

"Uh. Alone." Tony said awkwardly. Peter narrowed his eyes.

"I'm not getting up. And there's nothing I'm hiding that they can't hear." Peter said with a shrug. Tony sighed, slowly walking into the room with a thoughtful look on his face.

"Peter, _you told me your parents were dead_ ," Tony said. Peter froze for a moment before slowly closing his book and turning slightly so he could see Tony.

" _They are. To me_." He said quietly, picking up his book and putting it back in his backpack.

"Well uh, Pete, they're um. They're in the building. Behind me." Tony said slowly. Peter turned slowly towards him, standing up slowly and pushing Tony out of the way, grasping who Tony had come to know as Richard and Mary into the room.

"Why are you here? Why are you back? Is it because I finally have some worth now? Because I'm someone now?" Peter demanded, pushing them into one of the couches, not even caring that the team was staring at them in confusion.

"Honey no, that's, no it's because we love you." Mary said. Peter pointed his finger at her, tears spilling out of his eyes.

"Then why did you put me up for adoption? When I was three? Why did you give me up?" Peter asked expectantly.

"Because you needed help. More then we could give you." Richard said.

"No, I needed you! I needed you and you weren't there for me! I was a baby! A baby! And you gave me up! Because I was too much to handle! I was broken then and I'm still broken now!" Peter shouted, red in the face and hands waving in the air.

"Peter you needed things we couldn't give you," Mary said gently. Peter shook his head, wiping his face.

"All I needed was your love. I needed your time and you couldn't give me that." Peter said quietly, holding a hand over his mouth.

"Peter we were unprepared for you. We didn't know how to care for a baby." Richard said. Peter shook his head again.

"And that gives you an excuse for what you did? It's an excuse To have left me behind? Ben and May looked for me for years and they couldn't find me until I was eight! Five years I spent in the system! Five years!" Peter shouted.

"But they found you didn't they?" Mary asked.

"Five years too late! Five years to stop what happened to me! Five years too late to stop the nightmare, and, and the fucking flashbacks! And the scars! And the endless memories I wish I could erase! Five years too late!" Peter screamed, tears spilling down his cheeks again, fingernails digging into his palms.

"Sweetheart nothing bad ever happened to you in the system." Mary soothed.

"You don't know anything! You don't know a damn thing!" Peter shouted.

"Then tell us!" Richard shouted, making Peter flinch violently.

"You don't know what it was like! I was hit, slapped, whipped, locked in closets, molested, forced to do things I never should have had to do! And I can never forget that! But you can! Because you weren't there! You left me behind!" Peter screamed.

"But we're back now! That has to count for something!" Richard shouted back.

"That doesn't count for shit! Give me one good reason that you're back!" Peter screamed, his eyes squeezed shut, jaw clenched and neck taught, veins bulging in his neck and face. Mary and Richard were silent for several minutes.

"That's what I thought. You never expected me to be anything. And now that I am your want your share. Well, you're not gonna get it, because you're not shit to me. You're not my mum, and you're not my dad." Peter said firmly, snatching his backpack up from the floor and storming out of the living room, down the hall to his room where he stayed on the weekends. The whole room was silent, Tony twirling his thumbs.

"FRIDAY? Have security up to escort Mary and Richard our of the building and ensure they are not able to get into the systems again. Make sure they can't sneak in again." Tony said firmly.

"Should I add them to the no-go individual's protocol?" FRIDAY asked. Tony nodded his head, sighing when Happy stepped out of the elevator.

"Yep. Add the face and body scans."

——————

Tony stood outside Peter's door like this at least once a day; hand raised to knock but pausing just before it reached the door. Peter had barely left his room except for school, they weren't even sure if he wa eating. Tony sighed and finally knocked quietly on the door. When he didn't hear a response he sighed, leaning against the door.

"Peter? Can I come in?" Tony asked. He heard a quiet unintelligible answer which made him sigh, taking hold of the door handle.

"Alright, I'm coming in. Make sure you're decent." He said regretfully, immediately taking notice of Peter's entirely dark room and a noticeable lump under the mountain of blankets and pillows.

"Oh, I wonder where Peter is," Tony said sarcastically, getting a small rise out of Peter who moved under the blankets. Tony smiled when Peter accidentally stuck his foot out of the blankets and off the side of the bed. Tony took it in his hands before Peter could take it back in though, pulling him out of the blankets so he was forced to look at Tony. Tony winced, Peter's face was splotchy and red, tears tracks covering his cheeks, eyes red and puffy.

"Hey, kiddo," Tony said quietly. Peter sniffled, pulling his foot out of Tony's hand and bringing his legs up to his chest and a blanket around his back.

"Hey, Mr Stark." He said quietly. Tony sighed, shifting closer to Peter who leaned towards his body heat. They were silent for several minutes until Tony sighed deeply.

"You know I didn't let them in the building right? I wanted to ask you first but they kept getting in." Tony said quietly. Peter hummed.

"I know. FRIDAY told me they got into the systems because they had all of my information." Peter said, his voice hoarse from disuse. Tony hummed, shifting again so he could wrap his arms around Peter, placing his chin on Peter's shoulder.

"I'm so sorry that all of that stuff happened to you. And I'm sorry I never knew. But I also understand that it was your decision to tell me and you had a good reason not to." Tony said slowly, having rehearsed this several times by himself in the lab.

"I just, I just, I know I'm supposed to hate them but I don't. And that's why this hurts so much." Peter said finally, voice far away. Tony hummed.

"I know Pete. I know." Was all he said, and it seemed to make Peter relax, falling into Tony's embrace.

"I know you're here to get me out of my room but is it okay if we just stay here for a little while longer?" Peter asked hesitantly. Tony shrugged, losing them down and pulling Peter into his chest, kissing his forehead.

"If you want to stay here then you can stay here. I'm never going to force you to do anything you don't want to." Tony said gently. Peter hummed, snuggling as close as possible to Tony, already falling asleep.

"Mmmm. Good."


	89. You followed me?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An-Peter runs out of the tower before anyone can ask him where he's going, they follow I'm and freak out when they find him dancing with dead pool
> 
> Request from wattpad, username either lost or forgotten

"Oh hey Pete, what's got you lookin' fancy?" Tony teased, watching Peter lace up his leather-bound shoes and then race around the lounge room, picking up his phone and wallet.

"Anniversary." Peter muttered, Tony rose an accusing eyebrow and narrowed his eyes.

"For what?" He asked, glancing at the team who was watching with interest as Peter frantically tied his tie in the hall mirror, red and blue. He looked great, slacks, belt, tucked in button-down, tie, dress shoes, gelled hair and even a spot of makeup.

"I'm late." He muttered, glancing down at his watch as Tony sighed and stood behind him, doing his tie for him from behind.

"How late?" He asked. Peter just hummed, watching Tony quickly tied his tie for him.

"Thanks dad. I'll be back." Peter said, pulling his mask out of his pocket and pulling it on, throwing open one of the windows and jumping out before Tony or any member of the team could stop him.

"I'm following. You guys can too if you want."

——————

"Baby boy! You made it!" Wade shouted, running the length of the rooftop and crashing into Peter just as the tips of his toes touched the rooftop. He scooped him into the air, holding him tightly around the waist as peter pulled off his mask, laughing in happiness and kissing Wade's head through his mask. Wade was in a full suit plus his dead pool mask.

"I am! I'm so sorry I'm late though, I got caught up with the team and my dad had to help me tie my tie and-" Peter was cut off by Wade dropping him to the floor and hugging him tightly.

"Pete, I don't care. You're here and that's all that matters. I don't care if you're three hours early or ten hours late. I love you and you're here and that's all I care about." Wade said firmly, kissing peter shake through his mask. Peter hummed and relaxed in Wade's arms, melting into the embrace.

"I love you too," Peter said quietly, holding Wade tightly and smiling fondly. Wade hummed in appreciation swaying them slightly.

"I brought my boom box. And drinks." Wade said. Peter giggled, pulling back to stare at Wade through the eyes of his mask.

"We both know I can only get drunk for a few hours," Peter said I'm amusement.

"But no hangovers and I have a very good supply of drinks," Wade said, equally as amused. Peter scoffed.

"You sir, have a very good point." Peter giggled. Wade smirked and nodded.

"Don't I always?" He said teasingly, reaching over and clicking the on button, Peter rolled his eyes.

"You can't dance nicely to Surrender by Cheap Trick." He scoffed. Wade chuckled and skipped, we'll meet again playing quietly. Peter hummed, his arms wrapping around Wade's shoulders, and wades around his waist, his fingertips teasing the edge of the mask.

"I love this song." He said, leaning his head on Wade's shoulder as they danced.

"Reminds me of us," Wade said quietly. Peter hummed again, kissing Wade's shoulder subconsciously.

"Yeah? Why's that?" Peter asked. Wade was silent for several moments, allowing Peter to slowly take his mask off with the tips of his fingers.

"Because no matter what I'll always wait for you. I'll come back to you. And I'll always love you. Even if you don't think you deserve it. And even if you're scared." Wade said softly, his eyes wet with tears when Peter made eye contact with him. Peter smiled up at him, still dancing in circles with him.

"When I'm with you I'm not scared." He whispered, raising up onto the tips of his toes, drawing Wade down and closer to him, dropping his mask to the floor and kissing him softly. He could taste their tears through the kiss, but he didn't mind. He pulled back after a moment and locked eyes with Wade.

"I'm gonna tell my family. About us. Tomorrow. When I get home." He said firmly, breath ghosting Wade's lips.

"You don't have to. If you don't want to. We could get married in the courthouse. Modest rings. No one would notice." Wade offered fondly, voice dripping with affection. Peter smiled, still dancing slowly.

"Could run away." Peter offered jokingly. Wade chuckled, running his hands through Peter's hair which made him hum in content.

"Yeah? Where to?" Wade mused making Peter grin dopily up at him.

"Little island in Hawaii. Build our own little cabin." Peter paused, narrowing his eyes, "Near the beach, enough that we would have to walk far to reach the sand. We'd be able to dip into the water whenever we wanted. No one watching." Peter said, his tone deepening.

"Yeah?" Wade pressed. Peter hummed, still swaying in wades arms.

"Yeah. You wouldn't have to hide all the time. Cause I think you're the most handsome guy I'm the world. No, the universe. I wouldn't have to be so anxious all the time. Spidey senses wouldn't go off all the time. We'd be able to just be together." Peter said softly. Wade hummed, tracing Peter's jaw with his fingertips.

"Sounds nice. We could get a little dog. Those ones you always coo at on the street. Noisy little things with those high pitch barks." Wade added. Peter snorted.

"Get out. My fantasy island." Peter joker, humming after a beat of silence, "It does sound nice though." He whispered, rising onto his toes again to kiss Wade again, firmer and more desperately. We'd hummed into the kiss, his fingers gripping Peter's waist, Peter could feel the bruises blooming across his skin, only making him press more desperately into Wade's chest.

"Get these fucking clothes off," Peter demanded against Wade's lips. Wade stared at him for a moment before frantically tugging off his tie and unbuttoning his buttons with Peter's help.

"No! I am not letting my son fuck a mercenary!" Peter heard his father's voice shout behind him. Peter whirled around, reddening when he saw his father and the rest of his family standing on the edge of the rooftop, and the worst part was he wasn't sure how long they were watching him for.

"Too late for that," Wade said defensively, quickly rebuttoning his shirt. Peter grabbed for his wrist, gripping it tightly.

"You followed me?!" He seethed incredulously. Tony cocked his head and clicked his tongue.

"I'm glad I did." He spat, looking pointedly to Wade who deflated slightly, playful smile dropping.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Peter demanded.

"Pete, he's a mercenary. You shouldn't be with him." Tony said desperately. Peter stood in front of wade defensively, his eyes narrowing and face hardening.

"That has nothing to do with this." He growled.

"It has everything to do with this!" Tony shouted. Peter flinched at his tone, stepping back and falling into Wade's chest.

"So this isn't my decision? Just like everything else, it's yours?" Peter deadpanned. Tony stepped back at the remark, blinking rapidly as the team looked away from the two.

"What's that supposed to mean?" He asked quietly. Peter let out a harsh breath of air.

"I don't have to be anyone with him. I don't have to be spiderman. I don't have to be Tony Stark's son. I don't have to be a genius. I don't have to be attractive. I just have to be me." Peter said softly, feeling Wade's hands resting on his shoulders made his tense muscles relax slightly.

"Because he's a mercenary! He can only get people who are innocent! Like prey!" Tony shouted. Peter's eyes flashed dangerously, pushing away from Wade and stomping up to his father, slapping him hard across the face and pointing a finger in his face.

"I do not need you to protect me like a little kid anymore," Peter growled.

"But you are a kid!" Tony shouted incredulously.

"I'm twenty four! I'm an adult! With a job, with hobbies, with friends and relationships! You can't shield me from those things anymore!" Peter shouted back.

"I can try!" Tony responded. Peter pointed behind himself at Wade.

"I love him! And you're not going to stop me from loving him! He's always been there! Always! And I don't care what you think about him! I want to marry him! I want to move in with him and I want to start a family with him! Even if I could never trust myself to have kids of my own we could get a stupid yappy dog who hogs the bed! I want to get stupid matching Christmas sweaters with him! I want to be able to introduce myself as his partner and not fear that! I just want to be with him! Because he completes me! Can't you see that?!" Peter shouted, red in the face and tears spilling down his cheeks. Tony's gaze was hard and calculating for several moments as Peter got his breathing under control.

"He treats you right?" He asked finally. Peter's shoulders sagged.

"Yes. Better than anyone." Peter answered. Tony nodded slowly.

"How long have you been dating?" Tony asked.

"Since we were seventeen. He asked me to marry him when we were twenty but I said no because I wasn't ready to tell you." Peter said, looking down at the floor. Tony let out a small noise that sounded like he was dying.

"Pete, kid, I fucked up. And I'm sorry. Jesus, you, you deserve the world. And if he is your world then so be it. I'm sorry. And I will do everything to make sure you can love him for the rest of your life." Tony said softly. Peter looked up at him slowly.

"Was that you giving us your blessing?" He asked quietly. Tony smiled softly.

"Yes. I'm paying for the wedding. No reason for you to deny the proposal now."

——————

"You may now kiss the groom."


	90. Colossal idiot

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An-Harley and Peter Stark are Tony's twin sons, problems arise when Harley tries to be cool

Peter stopped short when he heard Harley's voice, ducking behind the locker block and pressing his back against the cool metal. He frowned when he heard Flash's voice mixing in with his brothers, narrowing his eyes and straining to hear them.

"Did you see that loser in chemistry?" Flash snickered, the light sound of Harley's familiar laughter ringing in the empty hallway.

"Yeah! Did you hear him, man? That was way too bold." Harley giggled. Peter narrowed his eyes further, Flash and Harley were in his chemistry class. Of course though Flash didn't know Peter were twins, Harley Keener was really Harley Keener Stark and Peter Parker was Pater Parker Stark. But no one had spoken out in class except him, other than a few of Flash's goons. Peter had no idea why Harley was speaking with Flash, he knew how he made fun of Peter afterall.

"Man one day Parker's gonna get it! You were so right! He's such an annoying freak!" Flash sneered. Peter's arms dropped to his side, stepping out from the lockers, making eye contact with Harley. Tears were dribbling out of his eyes and spattering onto his sweater their mum had gotten for him. His hands shaking by his sides, glasses slipping down his nose and braces pressing into his cheeks as he pursed his lips.

"That's really what you think about me?" Peter asked, voice breaking and wobbling. Harley's mouth fell open, face paling and eyes widening.

"Peter I didn't-" Harley started but Peter cut him off with a hard shove, making him stumble back.

"You're such an asshole!" He shouted, shoving Harley again before sidestepping him and rushing off down the hallway. Harley stayed frozen, staring down at the floor.

"I gotta go."

——————

"Hey Underoos, Peanut. How was school?" Tony asked. He was surprised when Peter stomped out of the elevator, slamming his backpack down on the floor and pulling off his shoes roughly.

"Peter I didn't mean it!" Harley pleaded. Peter whirled around, throwing his shoe at Harley which he easily dodged.

"Woah! Peter what the hell?!" Tony shouted. Peter didn't even glance at him, yanking off his jumper and throwing it at Harley who let it hit him and fall to his feet. Peter tugged off the knot of his tie and threw it at Harley. Tears were spilling out of his eyes and his face was scrunched up.

"Okay I'm sensing tension. Just don't throw your belt at your brother please." Tony said calmly.

"I wish he wasn't my fucking brother!" Peter screamed. Tony took a step back in surprise, stopping short and dropping his hands.

"Peter you don't mean that," Tony said softly.

"I mean it! Because I'm sick of living in his stupid perfect shadow!" Peter screamed, pointing at Harley.

"Peter you don't-" Harley started again, being cut off by Peter.

"I do! You've always been better! The better twin that everyone likes you better! The more attractive one! The popular one! The funny one! The smarter one! The cool one! The fashionable one! The one who all the girls love because he's soooo pretty! With the pretty blue eyes and blond hair and the sharing smile! God, you're fucking perfect and I just don't compare! Everyone has always loved you more! Even mom and dad! But you're the one person who always loved me the most!" Peter screamed, shoving Harley hard and getting in his face. Harley's lips were pressed into a thin line, tears gathering in his narrowed eyes.

"You always said that you'd stand up for me and that you'd protect me! But you did the opposite! What was it he said?! That you called me an annoying freak?! What else have you said?! That, that no one likes me? That no one cares about me? That I have no friends? Because that's what Flash says! And now I can't tell the difference between what Flash has said and what you've told him!" Peter screamed, red in the face, tears in the constant stream down his face.

"What else did you tell him?!" Peter screamed, shoving Harley hard again.

"Petey, I didn't-" Harley stuttered. Peter swiped his hand through the air.

"No! You don't get to call me that anymore! I want to know! Did you tell him about all the times I ran to you and cried for help?! Did you tell him all the times we'd made forts in the living room when I had nightmares because dad was on a mission and nothing could calm me down but you?! Did you tell him all the times I crawled into your bed because I needed you to hold me until I fell asleep because we shared a bed until we were ten because you didn't want to leave me alone?! Did you tell him all the times I relied on you to help me?!" Peter screamed. His eyes screwed shut and eyes bludging out of his head. Harley couldn't say anything.

"That's right! Because you're just a fucking coward! You don't want people to know that you are just. Like. Me. And we're both fucking cowards. You were the one person I could always trust. Could rely on. Could be me around. But now, I don't know who you are." Peter spat, pointing a finger at Harley's chest, pressing it in for a moment before bending down and picking up his sweater, tie, shoes and walking calmly out of the room.

Harley stayed with his feet firmly planted on the floor, hands clenched into fists, tears spilling out of his eyes as he stared at the floor. His hair fell over his forehead, the tiles seemed very interesting right now instead of thinking about how bad he fucked up.

"Did, did Peter just swear?" Rhodey asked incredulously. Harley broke into fresh tears, sobs shaking his shoulders and arms coming around himself, hugging himself tightly.

"Oh shit. Pep, you go to Pete, I'll um, Uh. Harley? Can you come here?" Tony asked hesitantly, Pepper already jumping up from her seat and rushing off down the hallway after Peter. Harley shook his head. Tony sighed and stood up, placing a hand each on Harley's shoulder and forcing him to start walking, pushing him into a lounge. He glanced at Rhodey who nodded and stood up, walking over to the elevator and pressing the down button as Tony pried Harley's arms away.

"You sh-should be with Peter." Harley sobbed. Tony sighed deeply.

"Harley you're both going through this. Right now I need to figure out what happened." Tony said, pushing Harley further into the couch.

"He was right. He's always right." Harley cried softly. Tony sighed, sinking in next to Harley.

"He gets that from your mom." He said softly. Harley sniffled, wiping his face hurriedly.

"He gets everything from mom." He said thickly. Tony sighed, pulling Harley into his side, waiting out the fighting from Harley until he sunk into his side.

"Harley, what the fuck happened?" Tony asked. Harley shrugged.

"I always thought it was so easy for Peter. He acted like he didn't care, like nothing ever affected him. Like it didn't matter what people thought about him. But it really mattered to me. Cause it always felt like everyone likes Peter better. Always more cute and cuddly, easier to talk to. I just, I just wanted to feel like it could be easy for me sometimes too." Harley started to explain weakly, hiding his face in Tony's side as he rubbed circles into Harley's shoulder.

"I could just pretend every once in a while. Pretend to be cool and interesting when I'm not. Cause in reality I study in the library on weekends with my brother, and go to weekly game nights with my family, and still build forts with my baby brother cause I miss when we were ten and nothing was this complicated." Harley said softly, soaking Tony's shirt. Tony stayed silent, listening to Harley speak patiently.

"And at the start, I just didn't say anything when everyone made fun of Oeter and then I'd come home and I'd have to comfort Peter after Flash said all those things and called him all those things. But then all I had to do was tell Flash some embarrassing stories and make a believable lie why I knew them and I was cool. And then I was calling him things and I didn't know how to stop. And I felt so horrible because Peter's right, I'm a fucking coward. I was so so so stupid. And peter can always see that." Harley explained. Tony nodded slowly, sighing deeply.

"You fucked up. And I know you know that. And I'm not going to say it's okay what you did because it not. And I know you know that too. But I understand why you did it. Because it's a lot of pressure. Because you're my kid. And I know that this is also my fault. Because I put so much pressure on you and your brother. And I know that other people who know you're my son also put pressure on you. And you put pressure on you. So I understand. You're going to have to fix this, because we both know your brother holds a grudge until the end of time. And even though I know you're gonna fix this you did a shitty thing to your brother and you deserve punishment." Tony said firmly. Harley nodded into his side.

"No labs for three weeks. No devices for two and you're grounded for one. And you better fix this." Tony said firmly. Harley sniffled loudly.

"That sounds fair." He said softly. Tony hummed.

"Yeah. Yeah, it does. Now cuddles for a bit then I'm sending you to your room before your mum finds out I went easy on you."

——————

"Jesus when I said to fix this I didn't mean beat up a kid for your brother," Tony growled, pacing on the floor and stroking his chin.

"He was gonna beat Peter up. Better me than him." Harley said, playing with the stitches above his eye. Nat slapped his hand away, shooting him an unimpressed glare.

"Harley you're seriously injured!" Pepper shouted. Harley narrowed his eyes.

"I've had worse." He said quietly.

"When you and your brother were play fighting as children!" Toky shouted.

"Well he doesn't think of me as his brother anymore does he?!" Harley shouted, jumping up off of the couch and standing on his feet. Tony snapped his mouth shut just as the elevator door opened, in running Peter with an already forming black eye and split lip.

"You beat up Flash?!" He shouted incredulously. Harley sat back down in the couch nervously.

"Oh, honey look at your eye. Come, let me take a look." Pepper said. Peter held up a hand, walking up to Harley and standing in front of him with his hands on his hips.

"You idiot! You beat up a whole ass kid!" Peter shouted, waving his hands around in the air. Harley looked down at his lap.

"He had you against the lockers," Harley said, shrugging his shoulders weakly.

"And you had him on the floor! You were on top of him!" Peter shouted. Harley shrugged weakly again.

"He was punching the shut out of you! What did you expect me to do?!" Harley shouted, looking up at Peter and waving his own hands around in the air up at Peter.

"Not get yourself suspended! You practically beat his face in! You looked insane!" Peter shouted.

"He deserves it!" Harley reasoned.

"No shit! But that doesn't mean you ruin your life because some guy was making fun of your brother!" Peter shouted.

"Exactly! You're my brother! My brother! And I love the shit out of you! Even if you steal my sweaters because you forgot to wash yours! Even if you always leave your stupid glasses in my room and then forget where they are and make me take them to your room for you because you're comfy in bed! Even if you like physics more then chemistry and forget to do your Chem homework so I stay up all night to help you with it and fall asleep during my chess final! Even if you always steal the best seat during movie night so I either have to sit next to a Thor who snores or cuddle with you! Even if you embarrass me in front of every girl I've ever liked!" Harley shouted, standing back up and waving his hands around. Peter stayed silent in shock.

"Even if you come into my room to ask where your favourite Star Wars T-shirt is and leave my door open! Even if you always push the button on the elevator because you know I want to press it! Even if you always blow out the candles on my side just so you can get a hug when I lean over to blow the ones out on your side! Even if I'm a fucking asshole who doesn't deserve you as my brother!" Harley shouted, tears slipping out of his eyes as he stared at Peter's shocked face.

"You're a colossal idiot," Peter said finally.

"Granted." Harley conformed. Peter nodded slowly.

"And you owe me three days of forts," Peter said firmly, pointing at Harley's chest.

"Understandable." Harley reasoned. Peter nodded slowly.

"I'm sorry I said all of that about you. You're the best brother in the entire universe. And I'm sorry I was an asshole and that I threw my clothes at you." Peter said, wiping his face hurriedly.

"Was?" Harley teased. Peter narrowed his eyes.

"Thin ice peanut. Thin ice." Peter said sternly.

"Back to peanut, Underoos?" Harley said. Peter rolled his eyes.

"You're lucky I love you, idiot," Peter said quietly, tugging Harley towards himself by his shirt and hugging him tightly.

"I love you too. But who's the idiot when you're the one bleeding on my shoulder?" Harley asked, making a face as Peter pulled back and wiped his bloody nose.

"Hmm. Still you. But you're the one who has to clean the shirt, not me."


	91. Haratio

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An-Peter's turtle died and he bursts into the avengers meeting room (this is in honour of my turtle dying on the 26/7/20)

"I hate to interrupt Boss, but Peter is on his way," FRIDAY said overhead. Tony stopped his sentence short.

"FRI, we talked about this. You have to send Peter to Pepper." Tony said in exasperation.

"I am afraid I have already done so sir. Miss Potts has approved of the decision to send Peter to you." FRIDAY said regretfully. Now that, that made Tony stop.

"What's wrong?" He asked urgently, pushing his chair out from under the table, ignoring the exasperated team and Fury.

"You will have to ask Peter that yourself sir," FRIDAY said. Tony sighed and stood up just as the door to the meeting room opened, in stepping Peter with red-rimmed and puffy eyes, sniffling loudly as his hand shook on the door handle.

"Jesus Christ Pete, you look like you've been hit by a bus," Tony said, taking a few steps forward until he was standing in front of Peter.

"Horatio died a few hours ago," Peter said quietly. Tony's mouth fell open, pulling Peter into his chest and holding him tightly.

"Oh. Oh, Peter. Jeez, what? Oh, I'm so sorry." Tony breathed, cradling Peter's head to his shoulder.

"FRIDAY said she detected a parasite in her stomach most likely from the new gravel I got her last week," Peter said quietly, fisting the back of Tony's blazer in his hands. Tony hummed, swaying them slightly.

"But she was fine this morning." He said incredulously. Peter nodded, sniffling loudly again.

"I know. When you left the penthouse this morning and I fed her she was fine and when I said hello just before I did my homework she was fine. But then when I went out to take her outside she was upside down in her tank and she wasn't breathing and-" Peter cut himself off his a sob, Tony shushing him and running his hands through Peter's hair.

"It's okay. It's okay. She's in a better place. And you always treated her so well. She was the happiest turtle in the whole wide world." Tony soothed gently. Peter sniffled into his shoulder.

"I'm gonna bury her." He said quietly. Tony nodded seriously.

"Of course. I'll call Rhodey and get Pep off work." Toky said. Peter shook his head.

"Pepper was the first to know. She helped me get the fish out of her tank and clean it out. We cleaned the filter, the gravel and the glass. She called Rhodey and he said he'd come as soon as he could." Peter said quietly. Tony nodded solemnly, kissing Peter's head.

"You already know what you're doing?" He asked. Peter sniffled.

"Yeah, FRIDAY told me everything I needed. Just wanted you there." Peter said quietly. Tony nodded his head.

"Okay, well you get everything ready and I'll be up in the next half hour. Ned and MJ already over?" Tony asked. Peter nodded.

"Yeah, they helped get everything together," Peter said. Tony nodded again, pushing Peter slightly, kissing his head again.

"Okay. Well, I'll be there in a minute. I'll help you with your tie." Tony said, patting Peter's shoulders as he turned on his heel in a daze and left the room, closing the door behind himself. Toky turned on his heel to a very confused team who were watching him very closely.

"Um. What the fuck?" Clint asked incredulously. Tony shrugged his shoulders.

"That was Peter. My son. Who's turtle just died. Who I need to go upstairs with to comfort." Toky explained vaguely.

"Oh. Why was he so upset about the turtle?" Steve asked, glossing over the fact that Tony had a son at all. Clint had hidden his family for years after all.

"He's had the turtle since he was five and he's thirteen so. He's wrecked about it." Tony said. Steve nodded, accepting the answer easily.

"Why a turtle?" Bucky asked quietly. Tony shrugged his shoulders.

"He'd been talking about a dog or a cat since he could talk but we found out that he's allergic to cats when we went to the rescue centre so he asked about turtles. He's loved that old show Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles since he first started watching it. He loved that turtle with his whole heart. He spent his whole allowance on her, he did everything himself. Cleaning the tank, feeding her, turning her heating lamp on and even taking her outside. He made sure she was happy and healthy. This has destroyed him." Tony said, holding a hand over her mouth.

"Jeez and he's the one that found her," Bruce said. Tony hummed, nodding his head.

"What's with the name? Shakespear right?" Bucky asked. Tony hummed.

"She's from a rescue centre. Peter insisted on it. He said that's she's like him." Tony said quietly.

"Like him?" Thor asked. Tony sighed, smiling lightly.

"I'm not going to get into the circumstances of his conception but I didn't know I had a son until I was contacted by CPS. He'd been in a group home for a few years until I got custody. When I explained the concept of rescue centres he said that I'd rescued him. I spent a good three days explaining that that was not what happened." Tony explained weakly. Fury slowly stood up from his seat while waving a hand.

"Go be with your son Stark. Send him our love."


	92. Diabetic

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An-Peter is a diabetic and hasn't been taking his insulin because May and he can't afford it. Peter goes into diabetic shock while at the tower

"You okay Pete? You're looking a little pale." Steve said worriedly. Peter glanced up at him and shrugged. He indeed did not look good, he looked pale, sweaty and shaky, and between you and me he didn't feel well either. Every time he moved he was overwhelmed with a feeling of dizziness, and there were currently two of Steve.

"Oh I'm fine, I think I just have hayfever," Peter said in dismissal, although he knew for a fact that it probably wasn't that, as now for around two months he'd been taking his insulin less and less now that the rent had been put up.

"You sure? I thought you couldn't get sick." Tony said, looking up from his phone to look Peter over, and he did indeed look like shit.

"Must've been wrong," Peter said with a shrug. 

"Well, you could just have a very strong and enhanced immune system. You might have just encountered one too many colds for your body to fight off." Bruce reasoned, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose. Peter hummed, turning the page of his book, he was about to respond when he heard his phone ringing from inside his bag, which was in the kitchen. 

"I can get it for you, Pete." Bucky offered, standing up slowly. Peter shook his head, closing his book. 

"Nah, it's fine." He said, standing up and taking a few steps. But he wasn't fine because his vision was blurring and he couldn't keep his head up. He vaguely felt his side hitting the floor and the worried shouts of the team. That's not good.

\-------------------

"Is he okay? What happened?" Tony blurted to Doctor Cho who had only just opened the door. She sighed and closed the door softly, raising her clipboard. 

"Peter's sleep right now, but yes, he is okay now. We've gotten him stable." She said calmly, watching as Steve pulled Tony back into his seat in the waiting room. 

"Stable? That means there was something really wrong with him." Clint said worriedly. Cho sighed. 

"Peter went into Diabetic shock because he-" Cho was cut off by Tony. 

"Peter has Diabetes?" He asked incredulously. Cho's eyebrows almost disappeared into her hairline, mouth opening and closing several times. 

"He didn't tell you?" She asked incredulously. Tony nodded frantically making Cho sigh in frustration. 

"Well, Peter has Diabetes type One. He went into diabetic shock because he hasn't been taking his insulin. He was only coherent enough to tell me that when he came in but I don't know if he was trying to hurt himself on purpose or if he forgot or if he had other reasons. Because of that, he's on watch until he can tell us." Cho explained slowly. 

"I can't believe he never told us." Tony breathed. 

"Or that we never noticed," Steve added. Cho sighed, putting her clipboard aside. 

"Look, don't tell yourself that this is your fault until you know. Peter is a teenager with extraordinary powers surrounded by his childhood heroes. He probably feels like he's not enough or that he's weak. This could also easily be a money issue, insulin is a life-saving drug that can put people out of the home." Cho explained gently to the team who were all on varying stages of shock and guilt. 

"How much does it cost?" Tony asked quietly, and the team just knew by the way he asked that, that he was literally considering buying the insulin brand and repricing it. 

"Around $450 a month. If Peter's only been taking the proper amount for a normal person with Diabetes, but with Peter's enhanced metabolism it could cost thousands." Cho said. Tony's mouth dropped open. 

"FRIDAY? Tell Pepper I'm about to do something very stupid."

\---------------

"Okay, you can go in now." The nurse whispered to the waiting team. They all piled into the room as one of the other nurses helped prop Peter up on several pillows, moving the bed so he was sitting up.

"How you feeling Buddy?" Tony asked, sitting next to Peter who looked like roadkill, pale skin, eye bags and shaky hands. 

"Like shit," Peter said hoarsely. Tony smiled softly, taking Peter's hand and holding it between his two hands. 

"Wonder why." Tony teased. Peter hummed, sinking into the pillows, glad he wasn't on watch anymore.

"Peter, I need to ask. Why didn't you tell us you have diabetes?" Tony asked after several quiet minutes. Peter sighed, staring up at the ceiling. 

"Well, everyone always thinks I'm weak an' stuff cause of it. That I need help with everything and that I don't know how to do anything. And I just hate explaining it, it's not like I haven't had diabetes since I was a baby or anything." Peter said, the last sentence dripping with sarcasm. Tony hummed in understanding. 

"Well, we don't think you're weak." He said firmly. 

"If anything being able to do what you do with a disability is even more amazing," Steve said in reason. 

"You are officially the only people other than May that thinks that," Peter grumbled. 

"That's only because of me," Clint said quietly, Peter glanced at him with confusion on his face. Clint sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. 

"Pete, I'm deaf. I wear hearing aids. The only reason you don't know is because that was one of the first things Tony helped make me, hearing aids." Clint said. Peter's eyes were wide as he processed the information, nodding his head slowly. 

"Are you gonna tell us why you haven't been taking your insulin?" Bucky asked. Peter sighed deeply, shifting uncomfortably. 

"We all know that Mary and I aren't well off. We used to be able to afford insulin pretty easy, but then Ben died and only May was working. So it got harder, but then I realised I had to take insulin more often with my metabolism, and it was okay cause I had the paycheck from the internship to help, but then the rent on the apartment got raised and I couldn't afford my insulin so I just went back to my old amount." Peter rambled, his breathing picking up and tears dripping down his cheeks. Tony shushed him lightly, rubbing Peter's arm up and down. 

"Pete, you're okay. None of us is judging you for not being able to afford it. We want to know why you didn't tell us you couldn't afford it." Tony said gently. Peter sniffled, shrugging his shoulders. 

"I just," Peter's face screwed up, sighing again and closing his eyes, "Ever since my parents died everyone's always given me handouts. Grades for nothing, no detentions, suspensions, free lunches, I don't get arrested. Then when Ben died it got worse. I want to work for what I get and people make that impossible. I guess I just didn't want pity." 

"Peter, that was the scariest thing I have ever seen. We all thought you were dying kid. I know I never want to have to see that again. It's okay to ask for help when you need it." Tony said gently. Peter sniffled again but nodded slowly.

"Plus Tony already did something stupid." Clint butted in. Peter narrowed his eyes and turned so he could face Tony. 

"What did you do?" He demanded. Tony immediately started sweating under Peter's harsh and unrelenting gaze. 

"I may or may not now own every pharmaceutical company that produces insulin and priced it down to ten dollars per month," Tony said sheepishly. Peter's mouth fell open in shock, a fresh set of tears dripping onto the hospital blanket. 

"Wait till the media gets a hold of that."


	93. Dissociation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An-deaf Peter who gets assaulted while the Avengers are looking at their weapons upgrades (Signing in italics)
> 
> TW-Sexual assault, dissacociation

"So who's the lucky guy doing our weapons?" Natasha drawled, twirling her new and improved blade changing knife around her fingers. The lab tech swallowed nervously and flicked through her notes.

"Peter Parker." She said nervously.

"No doctor or anything?" Clint asked. The intern shook her head.

"No, Peter used to be an intern because of a test that was sent to his school but he so ahead of everything in his department he got hired as a lab assistant then he worked his way up. He's been doing your weapons for a few months now." The intern said with a tight smile.

"How old?" Steve asked, testing the strap of his shield with an impressed look on his face.

"Fifteen." The intern said nervously.

"Fifteen? Jesus Christ. He did all the coding on this himself?" Tony asked, flicking through the new lines of coding in his suit. The intern nodded brightly.

"Of course. Peter does everything himself, coding, assembly, input. He's absolutely amazing to watch when he's in the zone. Literally nothing can get him out of it." The intern said excitedly. Tony hummed.

"Where is the little guy?" He asked. The intern glanced around, ducking her head into several cubicles then making a small dissappointed noise.

"He must have gone home early. He said something about a massive school project." She said in dismissal. Tony nodded, still clearly impressed. Clint cocked his head and raised his bow and arrow.

"What's he done to the colours?" He asked. The intern paused before picking up Peter's abandoned notepad full of notes. She found this odd, she'd been working with Peter for a very long time and he never left his notepad behind.

"Ah. Those are the colour changing ones. They reflect the light so they are easier seen. Peter's notes say that most archers can hear the arrow but because you're deaf you'll have trouble cocking the arrow and delivering the shot." The intern said, flipping the notepad so Clint could thumb through the notes.

"How did he know to do that?" He asked incredulously. The intern shifted slightly.

"Peter lost his hearing in an accident when he was still a kid. His ears were damaged and he can't be fitted for hearing aids or a cochlear implant. You should see the things he's made for himself to help." The intern said, her voice sounding slightly amazed and in awe. Clint nodded, looking through the sketches and notes for how he could further improve some of Clint's weapons.

"Isn't that Uh, isn't that dangerous? No offence but having a deaf person in a lab could be dangerous." Bucky said nervously, looking down at his arm which had been changed and several sender systems implemented. The intern shook her head.

"No never. Peter made a type of warning system that uses electromagnetic pulses on his arm that mean different things so that he knows what's going on. FRIDAY adores him and sends him alerts. Perfectly safe." She said with a smile. Tony was about to say something when Steve held up his hand, tapping Bucky and pointing to his own ears.

They both heard the same thing, a man whispering threats while a younger boy cried and whimpered uselessly. Steve waved the team behind him wordlessly, motioning for them to be completely silent. They weaved through empty labs and civic ales, circling around where Steve gestured to.

They were met with a vomit enducing sight; a middle-aged man holding a knife against the boys neck (one of Natasha's that she had noticed missing but assumed was being worked on) in his left hand and the other undoing a young boys belt and tugging down his pants until his knees. The boy's hands were balled into fists whole his head was thrown back so the knife wouldn't press in any further, blood already pooling under his neck.

The team worked easily, subduing the man easily and calling security to haul him off. The boy frantically pulled his pants back up and redid his belt, scooching back until his back hit the wall. All of the teams attempt to talk to him or get him to talk went unnoticed. His eyes leaking a constant stream of tears, unfocused and body frozen completely stiff.

"FRIDAY who is this and what's happening?" Tony asked frantically, crouched next to everyone else and staring at the boy.

"Peter Parker. Peter has gone into a dissociative state and will be unresponsive until his care plan is enacted." FRIDAY answered. Tony's eyes widened.

"Why has he dissociate?" He asked. Clint narrowed his eyes and tugged Peter's wrist towards himself, baring the silver bracelets on his wrist.

"PTSD. That's why." He said quietly. Tony nodded slowly.

"Alright FRI, get someone from medical down here and start enacting his care plan."

——————

They all watched through the window of the medical room as the nurse talked to Peter while disinfecting the cut of his neck, stitching it up and then covering it. Peter remained unresponsive, knuckles white as he clutched the bed, staring a hole in the floor and still crying. He was movable, way too easily, pliant.

"He was wearing Avengers boxers," Tony said suddenly, voice shaky and the hand covering his mouth muffling him.

"That normal for kids his ages Tony," Natasha said quietly. Tony shook his head.

"I know that. It's just, we make this big deal about saving people and we barely got to him. In my own damn tower. If we hadn't been there he would have had to live with that for the rest of his life." Tony rambled weakly.

"But we did get there. You can't think about the what if's." Steve said gently. Tony nodded slowly.

"I'm gonna make a new protocol. FRIDAY's going to monitor all movement and alert security when someone's being assaulted. And maybe we could patrol the city. You know, like vigilantes but not with being illegal." Tony rambled. Steve smiled slightly.

"We'll talk about it more later Tones." He said gently. Tony nodded just as the elevator door opened and out stepped a very frantic looking woman, clutching her purse and a backpack to her chest. She was wearing pyjamas.

"I'm May Parker. Peter Parker's guardian. I got a call saying he was assaulted, someone tried to rape him." She said frantically, not caring for who she was in the same room as. Tony shot up from his couch.

"Yes, he's right in here. We got to him before the man could do anything other than cut him. FRIDAY, my AI said something about him disassociating." Tony explained, pointing to Peter who was still being patched up. May deflated, looking through the window sadly.

"We thought he was better. That he stopped doing that." She said quietly, tears burning in her eyes. Clint cleared his throat.

"If you don't mind me asking, why did Peter disassociate?" He asked gently. May glanced at him, dumping her purse on the floor and holding the backpack tightly, eyeing the sign saying no one was allowed in for the time being.

"When Peter was little, just after he lost his hearing he couldn't be left alone at home because he could hurt himself. Not to mention he was eight. My late husband and I, his aunt and uncle, we had late shifts and needed a baby sitter. His name was Steven Wescott but everyone called him Skip. He molested Peter. Every time he babysitted him. Sometimes he'd make Peter touch him and such." May said in explanation. The team all visibly winced at the explanation.

"That explains the PTSD, but why did he not dissociate while it was happening? He was responsive until we got the man off of him." Natasha asked gently, placing a comforting hand on May's shoulder. May sighed.

"Peter said that afterwards was always the worst because Skip would call him a good boy and tell him how well he did. He didn't even understand what Skip was doing was wrong until we walked in and saw it happening. He thought he was the one in trouble for the longest time." May said, wiping away her tears frantically.

"When was he diagnosed?" Clint asked, placing a hand on Mayss other shoulder.

"When he was ten. It happened at school when another boy pulled his pants down as a joke. We spent months trying to find out what was wrong." May said quietly. They all nodded slowly. When the nurse came out May picked back up her purse frantically.

"His neck his patched up, I'll give you a sheet for aftercare, he's only slightly responsive. His care plan says you know what to do. We recommend he stay here for the night and we can set up a bed for you." She said, ushering May and the team into the room. May sighed, putting her purse down slowly, pulling a chair up so she could sit so he could see her and read her lips as she sighed pulling the backpack into her lap.

"It's May honey. Plain old aunt May. Bet you're overwhelmed with all of these new people." She said gently, taking one of Peters' clammy and limp hands in her own. Peter made a vague hummed noise in response. May sighed.

"Can you tell me your name honey?" She asked, signing along. Peter made another humming noise, raising his hands in the air and keeping them raised for a few minutes before he started signing.

" _Peter B Parker_." He signed slowly, blinking rapidly. May nodded encouragingly.

"That's right honey. Can you tell me how old you are?" May pressed. Peter's face twisted several times, blinking rapidly for several moments.

" _Fifteen. Almost my birthday._ " Peter signed slowly. May grinned, visibly relaxing.

"Yeah. Two more months. What do you wanna do for your birthday?" May asked. The corner of Peter's mouth tugged upwards into a tiny smile.

" _What we do every year_." He said, his hands still slightly far away and eyes unfocused. May hummed.

"What do we do every year Peter?" May pressed. Peter shifted, blinking easily again.

"Invite Ned and MJ over, watch Star Wars and get as much pizza and garlic bread as possible." Peter signed. May was about to say something when Peter's head jerked, chin dipping to his chest then back up. His eyes were finally in focus, colour coming back to his skin and a confused look taking over his face.

" _May? What's going on? Where are we?_ " Peter signed rapidly. May sighed, closing her eyes for a moment.

"We're still in Stark Towers honey. Just in the medical sector." May explained slowly. Peter face twisted, narrowing his eyes.

" _That doesn't make sense. I've never been up here before._ " He said, a small smug smile on his face. May smiled slightly, suddenly feeling impossibly tired and stressed.

"How much do you remember Peter?" She asked quietly. Peter's smile dropped, staring at her and suddenly realising why he was there.

" _I disassociated didn't I?_ " He signed weakly. May nodded slowly, Peter sighing deeply.

" _I was all excited cause my supervisor said we might get a visit from Tony Stark and the Avengers if they had time and I was really excited because I just finished the interchangeable knives_." Peter paused, Clint and Natasha following his signing easily.

" _Just before they came down everyone was rushing around and tidying up and Greg asked me to talk to him about something and he said it was really private so he led me away_." Peter paused again, his eyes widening, eyebrows sweeping into his hairline.

" _He-he tried to-to-to-_ " Peter started, hands shaking wildly as May slowly took them in her own and sighed.

"Do you want me to tell you now or later?" She asked. Peter shook his head slowly.

" _Can I have a hug?_ " He signed eventually. May smiled softly.

"Of course. Pressure or no?" She asked. Peter held up one finger for pressure, May stood up and hugged him as tight as she could in her arms. Peter hummed loudly, closing his eyes and wrapping his own arms around May, humming again when May started swaying them slightly, running her fingers through his hair. They pulled back after several minutes and May pressed a kiss onto his forehead, watching Peter who made a face as his fingertips touched the gauze.

"You have to stay here for the night. I brought your pyjamas, the ones you like when you're having a bad day. And I brought Anakin the teddy bear." May said, kissing his forehead again and bending down to dig through the bag. The team smiled when Peter made a giggling noise, taking the things May handed to him.

"If only your brought StarWars." He teased. May snorted, swatting him playfully as the team closed the door with a soft click and left them alone. She swiftly helped him into his pyjamas and clambered I to the bed next to him.

"I love you Peter."

——————

Peter was nervous of course, he couldn't remember getting assaulted or seeing the Avengers because he was usually so out of it after May got him out. But apparently The Tony Stark was so impressed with his upgrades on the weapons that he wanted him to show him and the team how he did them. He jerked when FRIDAY sent the message that the doors were opening, stepping into the room easily. He blushed darkly when he found the entirely of the Avengers standing there.

He shifted nervously, holding his backpack straps tightly as they all smiled and waved at him, advancing on him and backing him step back a few steps. When they noticed this they all froze.

" _You aren't gonna do what Greg tried to?_ " Peter signed shakily, his hands shaking. They all look horrified as Clint and Natasha translated. Peter looked between everyone speaking too fast for him to catch and then Clint waving for his attention.

" _No. Never._ " He signed firmly. Peter narrowed his eyes slightly, staring at him.

" _You promise?_ " He signed slowly.

" _We promise_."


	94. Ransom

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An-Peter is Tony's eight-year-old son who's just been kidnapped. Sure, the now free rogues and tony are on okay terms, but Steve didn't expect to get a call from Tony begging for his help

Steve woke with a start when his phone started buzzing on the bedside, groaning and sitting up, forcing Bucky to sit up as well.

"What time is it?" He slurred tiredly. Steve rubbed his eyes, glancing at the clock that read 3:00 am.

"Three in the morning." He sighed, picking up his phone and wincing at the light, Bucky practically hissing and hiding his face in Steve's arm.

"Who the hell is calling at the in the damn morning?" Bucky asked in frustration. Steve froze when he saw the contact.

"It's Tony." He said quietly, hurriedly clicking accept call and pressing speaker phone. He was immediately met with sounds of crying and sniffling.

"You there Tony?" Steve asked quietly. They both heard shuffling sounds.

"Yeah sorry, I just thought you wouldn't pick up," Tony said, Steve narrowed his eyes when he realised Tony must have been trying for a very long time. Steve sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"So am I honestly. What do you need Tony?" Steve asked, glancing down at Bucky who was snuggling into Steve's side. He heard more shuffling noises.

"I can't explain why over the phone but uh, something happened," Tony paused and Steve could just tell he was refraining from sobbing, "And um, I need help but I didn't know who else to call." Steve was shocked of course, shaking Bucky awake again and standing up, snatching a pair of jeans off of the floor and throwing them at Bucky and picking up his own pair.

"What do you need?" Steve asked, grabbing his things and pulling on clothes.

"Just someone to be here. Uh, I don't really trust myself right now." Tony said, voice wobbling. Steve nodded to himself.

"You want me to call the team? Or you want me to call anyone else?" Steve asked, hurriedly packing his and Bucky's backpacks.

"Uhm. Rhodey's already on his way and you heard about Pepper and me. But if you could just tell the team I'll um, I'll make sure there's someone to pick them up." Tony said. Steve nodded to himself and pulled Bucky behind him.

"Okay. Just hang tight Tony."

——————

"So what did Tony say?" Clint asked tiredly, having been picked up from his farm in the middle of the night and now in the elevator with the team for the first time in at least three years.

"He said he couldn't talk about it over the phone and just that he needs someone here because he didn't trust himself," Steve said in explanation. Clint nodded as the door to the penthouse slid open. They all looked around in confusion when they realised the penthouse was deathly silent and dark. They all followed each other through the penthouse until they reached the kitchen where Tony was leaning over the counter and drinking from a glass while staring a hole in the counter.

"Since when did you drink beer?" Bruce asked quietly. Tony didn't even turn to look at him, taking another sip from the glass.

"It's not beer." He said quietly. His voice matched his appearance, shit. The team weren't sure how long since he'd had a decent nights sleep, eaten or drank water but they weren't going to ask either.

"Then what is it?" Clint asked. Tony narrowed his eyes down at the glass and swirled the liquid.

"Apple juice." He said quietly. Everyone rose a confused eyebrow at Tony, suddenly noticing the stack of police reports and piles of photographs on the counter. Bucky decided he'd pick up one of them and start reading through it.

"Why are you drinking apple juice?" Steve asked hesitantly. Tony's shoulders hunched and he broke into a fit of violent sobs, covering his face with one hand, the other coming up to tangle in his hair. Bucky wordlessly slid over the open file, a gaunt look on his face. There was a picture of a young boy with the biggest smile on his face and he looked almost identical to Tony.

_Peter Stark, age eight, missing person report. Kidnapped and held for ransom._

Natasha rushed forward wordlessly and engulfed Tony in a tight hug, forcing him to straighten his back. He didn't say anything as he wrapped his own arms around Natasha, sobbing into her shoulder loudly, so hard Natashas body started shaking in him with him.

"Jesus Christ." Clint breathed, continuing to read through the file, the rest of the team reading over his shoulders and head.

"Taken at approximately eleven pm, traces of blood and other bodily fluids suggest a struggle," Bruce said quietly. Thor reached out wordlessly for Tony, wrapping his own arms around Natasha and Tony.

"E-Everything was fine! It was normal! We played with his legos l-like we always do until he was tired and I tucked him in!" Tony cried uselessly. Clint dropped the file and joined the hug, adding to the pressure.

"This wasn't your fault. You have done everything to make sure that this tower was safe." Clint said firmly. Tony made a quiet whimpering noise in response.

"What if they don't get him back? What if he's just lost forever?" Tony cried. Bruce, Steve and Bucky joined the hug, surrounding Tony.

"They will find him," Steve said firmly, tears of his own leaking from his eyes.

"I just miss him s-so much," Tony whispered, his hands fisting the fabric of Natasha's shirt, rubbing his back and running her other hand through his hair.

"We know. We know." Bruce soothed, rubbing Tony's arm. Tony just cried harder.

"I just want him back." He cried weakly.

"We will get him back Starkson."

——————

"Sir, the FBI delegate is currently in the elevator and headed your way," FRIDAY said. Tony jumped up from the couch, almost dislodging Natasha. The team had spent weeks cleaning up the penthouse and making sure Tony wasn't a risk to himself long before they even thought about helping with the search for Peter. The elevator doors slid open to show Peter rocking on his heels and holding hands with the delegate. The second he caught sight of Tony he tore out of the elevator and ran at him full speed.

"Daddy!" Peter shouted, jumping into Tony's waiting arms being hoisted into the air. He had a large gauze pad covering the majority of his neck and the right side of his face.

"Peter! Oh, my baby boy. My Bambino." Tony cried, holding Peter tightly to his body; Peter's arms around his neck, legs tight around his waist and face pressed into the crook of Tony's neck. Peter was crying heavily as was Tony.

"You're okay. You're, you're with me and you're safe. You're safe." Tony reassured, bouncing Peter slightly, swaying them and shushing Peter quietly.

"Scary." Peter cried. Tony nodded his head.

"I know bud. But you were so so so brave. You did nothing wrong. You're such a good boy Peter." Tony soothed gently. Peter sniffled several times before his breathing started to even out and his tears slowly stopped. Tony smiled weakly at the delegate as he weaved around the couches and slowly sat with Peter still sniffling into his shoulder.

"You wanna talk about it Bambi?" Tony asked gently, slowly prying Peter's away from his chest and settling him in his lap so Peter's side was facing him. Peter shrugged weakly, playing with Tony's fingers.

"I did everything you taught me if bad guys took me but I got caught and they hurt me cause they were really mad and stuff. I even got out of my handcuffs. Felt really cool." Peter said quietly. Tony pressed a firm but gentle kiss into Peter's hair.

"You did everything you could Pete. You did nothing wrong. None of what happened was your fault. Not one bit of it." Tony said firmly, holding Peter's face in his hands. Peter nodded slowly, hugging Tony around his middle.

"I love you daddy." He said, muffled by Tony's shirt. Tony sighed softly, running a hand through Peter's hair and the other holding him tightly.

"I love you too kiddo. Forever and always." Tony said. After several more minutes of hugs Peter pulled back and noticed the team, shying away from them and hiding in Tony's side.

"Hello." He said with a small wave. Natasha smiled warmly and waved back to him.

"Hello Peter. Your dads told us all about you." She said. Peter's eyes widened, a small smile growing on his face.

"He has?" He exclaimed.

"Yeah! All about you! He says you're the smartest little man he's ever known!" Clint exclaimed. Peter smiled wide and nodded his head.

"Yeah! I know all my time's tables! I don't even have to count of my fingers anymore!" Peter said excitedly.

"Wow! Not even I can do that! You must be the coolest guy at school!" Bucky said in fake awe making Peter bounce in his seat.

"Schools the best! My best friends name is Ned and he's really cool!" Peter said, sliding off of the couch at Tony's approval and bounding over to the team and switching between sitting with them, talking excitedly about school. Steve slowly stood up and sat next to Tony, watching Peter tug on Bucky's hair making Bucky smile fondly.

"He's never seen anyone with long hair," Tony said in explanation. Steve chuckled as Bucky and Natasha taught Peter how to braid long hair. Peter was listening intently with a concerned look on his face.

"Adorable little kid. I can see everyone loving him." Steve said, allowing tony to lean into his side.

"So can I. All his teachers love him to bits," Tony said quietly, silently wiping his face.

"What um, what caused the gauze?" He asked quietly. Tony sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"In the struggle when they took him. His whole face and neck were cut up." Tony said softly, smiling slightly when Peter succeeded in making a braid in Natasha's hair, although it was wonky and uneven it was still a braid.

"It's gonna scar you know," Steve said quietly. Tony chuckled quietly.

"He won't mind. He'll say he's like Anakin from Star Wars." Tony said. Steve chuckled quietly, patting Tony's shoulders.

"Bright kid."


	95. Paper cranes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An-The team find out that Peter has a lot more mental health problems then they thought (I think this can be defined as tooth-rotting fluff)

Peter hummed to himself as he plucked another piece of paper from his stack, careful not to smudge the writing as he started folding it into a tiny crane like the others. He was sure he could get to a thousand by the end of the week. He didn't even notice when Clint curiously picked up one of the pieces of paper after seeing Peter's familiar neat scrawl. He read it to himself, his eyes widening.

"Peter, what the fuck is this?" He asked, flipping the paper around for Peter to see which made him wince. He sighed as he finished the crane, taking the paper and starting to fold it also.

"It's kind of hard to explain." He said nervously, finishing the crane and picking up another piece of paper that Clint had already read with wide eyes.

"What's kind of hard to explain?" Tony asked curiously.

"I just read a piece of paper in Peter's writing saying and I quote "I'm worthless" on it," Clint explained incredulously. Peter made a frustrated noise and put the paper down.

"Jesus I didn't say I wasn't going to explain. I just said it was hard to." Peter snarled, snatching the paper Clint had picked up from his fingers and sliding the pile over to himself, holding them protectively. By now the whole team were listening in now with interest, they'd never seen Peter so agitated.

"Okay. Explain then." Natasha said expectantly. Peter sighed and went back to folding his cranes.

"I was diagnosed with Anxiety when I was eleven and then depression when I was thirteen, just before my uncle died. After he died the medication wasn't enough so I started seeing a therapist." Peter paused to blink away the tears gathering in his eyes as his hands sped up, working easily.

"I'd always done origami because it calmed me down and my therapist started trying to get me to do a mix of DBT and diversion therapy. So writing down intrusive thoughts and then pushing them away. But we realised I needed something to do with my hands when I did it because I got even more anxious while writing them. So I suggested I use the paper I wrote the thoughts on to make origami. I don't know why but it works." Peter said simply. The team were silent for several minutes, the only sounds on the room were the soft sounds of the paper folding.

"Do you still see your therapist?" Bucky asked quietly.

"Yep. Her names Mindy." Peter said with a small smile.

"Are you still on medication?" Bruce asked. Peter nodded his head as he added to the pile of cranes.

"Yep. A mix of a few for my Anxiety and Depression. But now I only need to take my anxiety medication when I need it which means I'm getting better cause I don't have a set dose a day." Peter said, smile widening when he picked up the next paper, a happy scrawl of words about May and Tony.

"Are they all bad thoughts?" Sam asked quietly, eyes flickering to Peter's smile. Peter shook his head.

"No. Not all of them. It's like I just don't have enough shelves for all my books. There's too much clutter. There are things I really should get rid of because I don't like them anymore or I never did and they're just taking up space, others that I love but don't have enough room for and putting into storage so I can put them up later when I have enough time to put up new shelves. Or sometimes they're just copies of what I already have and I don't need the copy so I give it away so I have space for what I love." Peter explained, he'd come up with that when he was fourteen and he was quite proud of it.

"So what are some of the good things?" Steve asked. Peter grinned.

"I have quite a lot about being excited about patrol after school, or lab night with Mr Stark or game night here or take out night with May, or that I get to hang out with Ned for the first time in months. Or even that I feel good that day for the first time in a long time or something exciting that I can't wait to tell Mindy because it means I'm having progress." Peter rambled, flipping one of the prices of paper over so the team could see.

"Or like this one. It's about how much I love certain people but don't know how to tell them. It's a good feeling, because it's love. But it's sad because I don't know how to tell them." Peter said with a shrug, leaving it in the teams view on the coffee table.

"Why don't you know how to tell people you love them?" Wanda asked. Peter paused for a moment.

"I have a very complicated relationship with love. But it's also that nagging feeling that the people I love won't ever love me back or that they're lying to me when they say they do. Or that I'm not deserving or good enough for that love they do feel for me." Peter said, going back to folding his cranes.

"And you know that's not true right?" Rhodey asked. Peter shrugged his shoulders.

"Logically yes. But sometimes Anxiety is too logical or not logical enough." Peter said simply.

"Can you tell us who you love?" Scott asked. Peter paused for a moment before folding slower than before, a fold between each word.

"My parents. Ben. May. MJ. Ned. Mr Delmar. Murph. The decathlon team." Peter paused, clicking his tongue, "You guys." He said quietly, still folding slow enough that the team could see his movements now.

"You know we love you too right Pete?" Tony asked softly. Peter couldn't fight the smile working its way onto his face and the tears burning in his eyes.

"Yeah. It just feels nice when you say it." He said softly, picking up another piece of paper.

"Then we aren't going to stop saying it."

——————

Peter hummed to himself at the elevator doors opened, stepping out and dumping his backpack and shoes. More often then not Peter could be found at the tower now that May was taking more and more overnight shifts now that Peter had somewhere to stay overnight. He went into the living room like normal, holding his stack of papers held together by a rubber band and the growing jar of cranes. He narrowed his eyes in suspicion when Tony walked up to him holding something behind his back with the team watching him.

"I have a present for you." He said nervously. Peter clocked his tongue, clearly unimpressed.

"You know how I feel about presents when it's not my birthday." He deadpanned. Tony chuckled nervously and slowly pulled the small present out from behind his back.

"Okay but it's not really a present because it's not even wrapped and I don't have a card to go with it." He rambled. Peter sighed and took the small box that Tony practically shoved into his hands, glancing at the smiling team behind Tony. When he lifted the lid and found stacks upon stacks of different sized patterned and colourful paper and he gave Tony a confused look.

"I'm extremely confused." He deadpanned. He didn't miss how Tony shifted nervously.

"Well, I know that you are already receiving help for your mental health but I know that you use scrap paper and tears for your origami so I decided I'd get you a set of paper so that you have something that's yours through and through that, you can use whenever you want with ease. It's also my way of telling you that I shoot you no matter what because I love you. And I'm not really good at telling people I love them either." Tony rambled, and this was the first time that Peter had ever seen Tony nervous like this. He didn't even think about it when he rushed forward and engulfed Tony in a firm hug.

"Thank you." He said softly. He sniffled as he closed his eyes, wrapping his arms around Tony, even if the box was pressing into Tony's back uncomfortably.

"No problem," Tony said after they separated. Peter nodded to himself and hurriedly wiped his face.

"You know this isn't going to last even a month right?" Peter joked. Tony snorted, ruffling Peter's hair.

"Good because I have an entire storeroom full of them."


	96. First seizure

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An-Peter has his first seizure. (I know there are inaccuracies, again, these will be edited out at a later date as I go through each of my previous works)
> 
> TW-Graphic depictions of seizures

"Peter are you okay?" Tony asked, waving his hands in front of Peter who had been staring at the counter for at least five minutes after trailing off. Peter blinked several times before humming.

"Yeah sorry, I must have zoned out." He said quietly, blinking rapidly and nodding to himself. Tony rose an eyebrow and glanced at Bruce who shrugged, that didn't look like he just zoned out. The conversation, however, picked up like nothing had happened until they all caught sight of Peter moving his hands in front of his face with a confused look on his face. 

"You sure you're okay?" Natasha asked, reaching out to touch Peter's forehead only for his head to jerk, making him wince. 

"I uh, I'm not sure," Peter said in a daze, he froze after a few moments, his arm coming up above his head and accidentally pulling him out of his chair and causing him to fall to the floor. His eyes rolled into the back of his head, he was letting out loud chocked off noises as his back arched off of the floor. His right arm was still raised above his head, jerking every few seconds and his left arm raising off of the floor and slamming back down onto the floor repeatedly. His legs were kicking violently. 

"What's happening?!" Tony shouted frantically. Steve and Bucky jumped out of their seats frantically. 

"He's having a seizure!" Steve shouted. He dropped to his knees beside Peter and looked to Bucky for help who pointed to the chairs near Peter.

"He's too far in for us to stop it! Move the chairs so he can't kick or hit them and hurt himself!" He ordered frantically. The team frantically obeyed, moving anything and everything that Peter could move. Steve rolled Peter over so he was flat on his back, prying open his clenched shut jaw. 

"What are you doing?!" Clint shouted. Steve grimaced and carefully reached into Peter's throat.

"Making sure his tongue can't get stuck then rolling him over," Steve said, wincing when Peter's jaw snapped shut, cutting Steve's fingers and causing blood to pool as he got Peter's tongue free and then rolled him onto his side as he continued seizing. 

"How do you know he's having a seizure?" Natasha asked frantically, turning so she couldn't see Peter. 

"Stevie use to have them pre-serum. Nasty things." Bucky said quietly, watching Peter carefully who's movements were less exaggerated now. 

"How long will it last?" Sam asked worriedly. Bucky shrugged. 

"I'm not sure, ten to twenty minutes?" He said. Steve glanced up at Tony who looked like he'd seen a ghost.

"Had he ever shared any medical history with you? Does he or a family member have Epilepsy?" Steve asked, cradling his already healing hand to his chest. Tony shrugged uselessly.

"If Peter's family does have a history of it Peter and May wouldn't know. And no Peter doesn't have a medical history of Epilepsy." Tony said frantically, watching as Peter slowly stopped jerking, stilling and laying limp on the floor.

"Okay. Well, let's get him up to medical. They're going to want to run some tests and figure out why he had a seizure."

——————

"Okay, we've taken several different types of brain scans, taken a sample of cerebral fluid, taken several blood samples and done other small tests, all of which give me enough evidence to conclude that Peter has Epilepsy." The doctor said solemnly. Tony nodded slowly, squeezing Peter's hand. Peter was hooked up to an IV and under the covers in a hospital gown. 

"And um, the seizure?" Tony asked quietly. 

"A grand Mal seizure. Now Peter's likely to have many more in the future, we can talk about medications to stop this happening again when Peter is awake." The doctor said. Tony nodded slowly, squeezing Peters hand again. 

"And the injuries?" He asked. The doctor sighed deeply, glancing at Peter, who's right arm was in a red cast, along with his leg.

"Everything reset. I'll send you an email with all of the details. For now, just lay with him and talk to him and be there when he wakes up." The doctor said, nodding to himself and leaving the room and nodding to the team for them to gather around the bed. After a few hours of chatter, the team noticed Peter's head shaking from side to side, his eyelids opening slowly and looking around in confusion. 

"Hey, Bambino. You gave us quite the scare." Tony said, kissing the back of Peter's hand with a small smile. Peter looked at him in confusion and then down at the gown and casts. Peter was silent for several moments before sniffling. 

"Was I dreaming?" He rasped out. Tony winced. 

"Well, what do you remember?" Tony asked. Peter was silent for several more moments before answering. 

"I dunno just flashes after you guys asking me if I was okay and hitting the floor. And, and then I remember not being able to see anything but I could hear anything and it was like I was stuck in my body but I-" Peter cut himself off with a sob. Tony rushed to lean forward and cup Peter's face in his hands, wiping away his tears. 

"Shh, shh, you're okay Underoos. I get it, kid, it was scary and you didn't like it. Just a seizure." Tony soothed Peter who was hiccuping quietly as he nodded his head. 

"Why'd I have a seizure?" He asked after a few moments. Tony smiled bitterly. 

"Apparently you have Epilepsy." He said quietly. Peter nodded slowly, a thoughtful look on his face.

"I think my mum might have had that. She used to have seizures when I was little and they were really scary cause she'd hurt herself accidentally." Peter said quietly, Tony sighed softly and kissed Peter's curls. 

"Well, there are medications that you can try to stop the seizures. But for now, you need to rest and get out of those casts." Tony said, Peter glanced at the casts and made a whining noise. 

"I hate casts." He said quietly. Tony chuckled and kissed Peter's head again.

"Yeah and what if all of the Avengers personally sign them?" He asked. Peter narrowed his eyes, bottom lip stuck out in a pout.

"And hugs?" He asked. Tony chuckled and rolled his eyes, nodding his head. Peter's whole face lit up, scooching over on the bed to Tony could clamber up next to him. 

"And hugs."


	97. Pride Parade

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An-Peter doesn't want to go to pride alone
> 
> TW-Descriptions of sexual assault

"Why looking so glum?" Bucky asked, nudging Peter with his elbow. Peter sighed, removing his head from his elbows and shrugging.

"It's nothing." He muttered. Bucky smiled softly and sat down next to peter. By now the team were listening, looking up at Peter and Bucky.

"I can tell you've been crying. What's wrong?" Bucky asked firmly. Peter groaned and flopped out onto the couch, his feet in Bucky's lap.

"MJ and Ned can't go to Pride with me cause stuff came up," Peter said. His arms were crossed over his chest and he had a sour look on his face.

"Why can't you go alone?" Steve asked, looking up from his drawing pad where he had been drawing Bucky yet again. Peter made a face.

"Well, it's really not safe to." He said like it was obvious. Steve made a face of confusion in return. 

"Why?" He asked confusedly. Peter sighed. 

"Well, if someone who didn't like or support aspect of the LGBT+ community and you have a flag or a T-shirt or a badge that has a pride flag on it or they saw you at pride and you're alone you're in danger for someone to attack you," Peter explained gently. Steve nodded slowly. 

"I could go with you." He said simply. Peter attempted to sputter out a protest only for Steve to beat him to it.

"Well, who's gonna mess with Captain America? Besides, we weren't allowed pride parades in the forties and it'll be nice to not hide for once." Steve said casually. That stopped Peter, raising an eyebrow in confusion.

"Hide what?" He asked. Steve shrugged. 

"If you were gay in the forties you'd die if someone found out," Steve said, picking back up his pencil.

"You're gay?" Tony asked suddenly. Steve looked up and nodded like it was obvious.

"Of course I am." He said in confusion.

"Why didn't you tell us?" Bruce asked. Steve shrugged his shoulders slightly.

"Well, I didn't even know that homosexuality was legalised until Peter came out and I looked online. Then I was worried about what you guys would say or do." Steve said. 

"Why would you be worried?" Natasha asked with narrowed eyes. Steve sighed and glanced at Bucky who nodded encouragingly.

"Back before the serum, this guy from high school found out cause he found nudie pictures in my locker that I stole from my ma. He held it as blackmail and uh, well he made me do stuff. To like, well to pleasure him. Cause I couldn't tell anyone what he was doing cause I'd get in trouble, not him." Steve explained quietly, putting his pencil back down and closing his note pad shut.

"Did it ever stop?" Sam asked. Steve nodded his head slowly.

"Yeah. Bucky found out because he walked in on it and punched the guy to high hell. Wouldn't let me walk anywhere alone for weeks after that." Steve said, a small fond smile on his face. Peter's eyes suddenly widened, looking between Bucky and Steve who knew he'd caught on.

"Oh my god! You guys are dating! I knew you were more than best friends!" He shouted, standing up on the couch and pointing between Steve and Bucky who were chuckling at him.

"Good job kiddo, you're the least oblivious." Bucky snickered. Peter pointed down at him.

"You have to come to pride! It'll be great! I promise!" Peter tried, Bucky narrowed his eyes, stroking his chin in his metal hand.

"But I'm not gay. I don't know the word for it. Stevie's great an' all, but I still like to look at dames." Bucky said. Peter nodded, dropping back onto the couch, grinning madly.

"You're like me! It's called bisexual, attracted to both genders." He said excitedly. Bucky nodded for a few moments before grinning.

"Guess Stevie and I should prepare."

\----------

"Stay still I need to pin the flag on," Peter said, his tongue sticking out of his lips in concentration as he pinned Bucky's bisexual flag to his leather jacket. 

"Stayin' still is for wimps." He mutters, making Steve slap him across the arm. Bucky only stopped squirming when he noticed how nervous Steve was, his hands were shaking, face pale and eyes flickering around the empty alleyway. Once Peter finished his flag he went off on his own, leaving Bucky to sidle up to Steve's side and hug him around his waist.

"We'll be okay Stevie. No ones ever gonna hurt you again." Bucky soothed. Steve nodded curtly, bringing his arms around Bucky's shoulders and resting his head against Bucky's. 

"I know. It's, it's just really scary. Peter and I were talking about it, he says it's really normal what I'm feeling and that's it's called internalised homophobia. He says he has that." Steve said quietly, smiling as he saw people walk past the alleyway in flags.

"Scary for me too. But we'll get through this like we always do." Bucky said softly. Steve hummed, pulled away and squeezing Bucky's hand which he had taken.

"I'm with you till the end of the line." He said softly, Bucky nodded firmly.

"Till the end of the line pale." He said back. He smiled when Peter walked back up to them, shirt off and just doing his trans pride flag binder and dress pants.

"Look at you, all spiffy." Bucky teased. Peter rolled his eyes. 

"Shut up. Mr Stark got it as a surprise. Anyway! Let's go!" He said excitedly.

Let's just say that new York was very surprised to see The Winter Soldier and Captain America holding hands, kissing for cameras (With Bucky holding up his middle finger), and even photos of Peter on Bucky's shoulders cheering. But Bucky and Steve were happy, and Peter had the best day of his life. That's all that really mattered. 


	98. Frank the Thunderbird

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An-On a recon mission the team find Peter, who only seems to like Nat

"Bodies upstairs. But there's handprints and footprints from the blood and around the warehouse that look like a child's." Steve said to the team who were gathered together. He paused when he saw a flash of pale skin and brown hair from behind the ratty, old and dirty couch pushed away from the wall. He gestured for the team to be quiet as he crept up to it, suddenly pushing it away from the wall and revealing a cowering child who was curled up in the corner, a stuffed animal cuddled to his chest.

"How long has he been alone?" Clint asked quietly, looking the boy over who was in dirty ripped clothing, his skin was covered in dirt and soot and what they amused to be dried blood on his hands. He whimpered and covered his face with his arms when Tony raised the repulser at him.

"Tony you're scaring him. Put the repulser down." Natasha growled. 

"Like you could do any better." He shot back. Natasha promptly unstrapped her knives from her belt, handing them all to Bucky who took them with a curt nod, then dropping to her knees and creeping forward. The boy pressed himself closer to the wall and held his toy tighter. 

"We aren't gonna hurt you buddy. We're here to help." She soothed, stopping a metre from the boy and sitting cross-legged. He stayed silent, still shaking, his bangs covering his forehead and eyes. 

"Can you tell me your name?" Natasha asked. The boy nodded slowly, biting his thumbnail.

"Peter B Parker." He said quietly. Natasha smiled gently, nodding her head.

"What's the B for Peter?" She asked. Peter let his legs drop so he was sitting on top of them, still holding his toy tightly.

"Benjamin. That was my uncle's name before he went to sleep." Peter said. Natasha winced internally and nodded her head. 

"Do you know who we are Peter?" She asked gently. Peter nodded vigorously, his curly hair bouncing with his nods. 

"Yep. You're the Avengers." He said proudly. Natasha grinned and nodded seriously.

"Yeah. We are. I gotta know, do you have a favourite? I promise I won't be mad if it's not me." She said, lowering her voice and leaning forward, acting like she was telling him a secret. Peter was silent for a few moments, blinking at her. He slowly crept forward until he was right in front of her, raising his hand so only Nat could hear him.

"You can't tell them but you're my favourite." He whispered. Natasha grinned and pulled back.

"Why am I your favourite?" She asked. Peter grinned, going back to cuddling his toy to his chest.

"Cause your symbols really cool." He said simply.

"Yeah? Why's it cool?" Natasha pressed. 

"Cause it has two triangles. I really like triangles cause they have three sides and there are three different types of triangles." Peter said seriously. Natasha nodded, just as serious.

"Can you tell me the different types Peter?" She asked. Peter nodded.

"Yeah! There are the isosceles and the equilateral and the right-angled." He said, a proud smile on his face as he counted off on his fingers.

"Wow, you're really smart. How old are you Peter?" Natasha asked in fake awe. Peter's smile widened.

"I'm eight!" He exclaimed, holding up eight fingers on his hands and letting his toy drop to his lap.

"Woah! You must be the best in your class!" She exclaimed. Peter shrugged.

"That's what my daddy says." He paused, looking uncomfortable and looking down at Natasha's shoes, "Your shoes are are cool." 

"Thank you, I really like them. Why don't you have shoes?" She asked, narrowing her eyes at Peter's bare and dirty feet. 

"I do have shoes, but daddy said we didn't have time to get 'em before we left. He said we'd be able to go back home soon, just until the people looking for him went away. I only had time to get Frank before we got in the car." Peter explained, holding up Frank. Natasha nodded.

"Yeah? Why's his name Frank?" She asked. Peter stared up at her incredulously.

"You've never seen Fantastic beasts and where to find them?" He blurted. Natasha shrugged her shoulders. 

"Nope." She said. Peter stared up at her.

"Well he's a thunderbird. He can control weather and stuff." Peter explained seriously, holding up the thunderbird toy. Natasha nodded, pausing to glance at the team who were watching them closely.

"Peter, we came here to look for you and your daddy. Can you tell us what happened to him?" Natasha asked gently. Peter's happy smile dropped as he sunk to the floor. 

"Some mean men came in. They were yelling really loud and they were hurting my daddy. Then one of them held up like what you have." Peter pointed to the handgun on Natasha's belt, "It made a really loud noise and it was pointed at my daddy and it made him go to sleep. They told me to come out but I was scared cause the pointy thingy hurt my ears and they sounded mean. I tried to get him to wake up but he wouldn't, and there was red sticky stuff everywhere and I know how much my daddy hates it when I make a mess so I tried to clean it up." Peter said, tears gathering in his eyes, sniffling between words. But he just kept going before Natasha could interrupt.

"A-and daddy said to stay here until he told me we could leave, b-but he wouldn't wake up and he got really cold and icky looking. Is my daddy angry at me? Did he go to sleep because I did something bad?" Peter cried. Natasha was frozen for a moment before shaking her head firmly.

"No. Peter, you didn't do anything bad. You were such a good boy. You stayed where he told you and you didn't come out. You did everything your daddy told you to do." Natasha soothed, wiping away the tears spilling down Peter's face.

"But why won't he wake up?" He pleaded. Natasha sighed, holding his face in her hands. 

"Because those men, the ones with the pointy things, they are the ones that hurt him and made him angry." Natasha said firmly. Peter sniffled, wiping his nose hurriedly.

"So he still loves me?" Peter asked. Natasha nodded firmly.

"Yes. He loves you the most. The most in the whole wide world. You were his favourite boy ever." Natasha said, tears of her own spilling out of her eyes.

"Did you know my daddy?" Peter sniffled. Natasha nodded.

"I knew your mummy and daddy. And they loved you so much. And I promised that I'd take care of you if they ever went to sleep." Natasha said. Peter nodded his head, wiping her tears away for her.

"You won't go to sleep like they did?" He asked. Natasha shook her head, Peter nodded and hugged her around her neck, letting her pick him up which forced him to wrap his legs around her waist.

"No. Not if I can help it."

——————

"Can I bring Frank in?" Peter asked, staring at the filler tub of water. Natasha chuckled, having already cleaned off herself and gotten into new clothes. After making sure Peter wasn't sick or hurt Natasha said she'd take care of feeding him and getting him water.

"No, this baths for you." Natasha said.

"But Frank wants to be clean too." Peter protested. Natasha smiled fondly.

"Frank has his own special bath, like you have this one." Natasha explained. Peter nodded slowly and set Frank on the counter, letting Natasha help him strip off and then get into the bath.

"Okay. We gotta wet your hair then we can out the shampoo in. Can you dunk for me?" Natasha asked. Peter nodded and lowered himself into the water and then came back up with a smile on his face. Natasha smiled and held up two bottles.

"You want Strawberry or apples?" She asked. Peter narrowed his eyes for a moment.

"Apples, please. Strawberries are gross." He said seriously. Natasha chuckled and squeezed some into her hand before spreading it on her hands and then threading her fingers through Peter's hair, massaging it in, getting the grime and knots out.

"Why don't you like Strawberries?" She asked.

"Too many seeds. They feel gross." He said, moving his hands under the water with a wide smile on his face.

"They do don't they?"Natasha asked. Peter nodded and went silent, continuing to play in the water and push around the rubber ducky that Natasha had put in for him. 

"So what are your favourite things Peter?" Natasha asked. Peter looked up at her while she washed the shampoo out of his hair and then started putting in the conditioner after washing his face off. 

"Star Wars. Harry Potter. Stargate. Oh! My daddy was gonna show me Star Trek." Peter rambled happily, still looking up at Natasha who was now washing out the conditioner. 

"You like space then?" She asked. Peter nodded in agreement. 

"Yeah! I'm gonna be an astronaut when I grow up!" Peter exclaimed excitedly as Natasha started helping him wash the grim off of his skin. 

"Of course you are. You can do anything as long as you work hard and put your mind to it." Natasha said with a grin. Peter nodded seriously. 

"I know I can do it. I'm really good at math. I can do all the timetables without counting on my fingers." Peter said smugly. Natasha chuckled and started draining the tub.

"That's really impressive. I don't think I can even do that." Natasha said, helping Peter out of the tub and helping him dry off. Peter sat down with the towel wrapped around him as Natasha picked up the pile of clothes and handed them to him, waiting as he put the clothes on. She then had him brush his teeth and floss while she watched. 

"There you go. All clean. Now you just need a hair cut." Natasha said. Peter looked up at her and shook his head.

"Frank has to get clean too first." Peter demanded. Natasha smiled and picked up Frank for Peter and took his hand, weaving through the halls. She opened the washer door and sat Frank inside.

"Frank's gonna go in here and he'll be all clean before you know it." She said, closing the door and putting the washing powder in the slot. Peter had a very worried look on his face.

"Won't he drown?" He asked, looking in through the window.

"No way, he's just going for a bath. And then we'll put him in the dryer where he can get all warm and dry like you." She said. Peter nodded and let her take his hand again and lead him through the level until they were in the common room where the team was gathered. Peter hid behind Natasha's legs, peeking out from behind her. 

"They aren't gonna hurt you. They're just hanging out. You want anything to eat?" Natasha asked. Peter shrugged. 

"Can I have some water please?" He asked shyly. Natasha nodded and went to the sink, getting a glass then filling it up and handing it to Peter. 

"Just don't spill it. Wanda's gonna help me cut your hair cause none of the boy's know-how." Natasha said with a wink, picking up the kit from the counter and leading Peter to the loungeroom where Wanda was already sitting with a spray bottle and a towel. 

"Hello, I'm Wanda. You must be Peter." She said. Peter nodded shyly, still holding his glass tightly. 

"Okay, just sit on this stool and I'll put this towel around your shoulders so you don't get hair all over you." Natasha said, pointing to the stool. Peter stared at it for a moment before looking up at her.

"Can I still drink my water?" He asked. Natasha nodded and lowered the stool so he could sit and then lifting it so she could reach him. She was glad Peter didn't refuse food in the plane, eating what she gave him while she talked with him. 

"How long since you've had a haircut?" Wanda asked, standing up and separating Peter's hair into sections. Peter was silent while his legs swung and he sipped his water.

"Since my mommy went to sleep." He said finally. Natasha winced and picked up the scissors, cutting off the long hair so it wasn't longer than a few inches and then letting the sections go.

"How long ago was that?" Natasha asked. 

"Hmmm, one year ago. My daddy didn't know how to cut hair." Peter said, going back to swinging his legs. Natasha and Wanda were silent for several moments until Natasha started cutting Peter's hair between her fingers.

"Do you like school Peter?" Natasha asked. Peter's legs were swinging as he drank from his glass.

"Yep. I really like school cause my teachers really nice and I'm good at school." Peter said happily.

"What's your favourite class?" Wanda asked, handing Natasha different tools.

"Math and science. Cause they're really fun and easy." Peter answered easily.

"You got any friends?" Natasha asked. Peter grinned into his glass.

"Yeah! His names Ned and he's really cool. He's my best friends." Peter said seriously. Natasha chuckled and went silent as she finished up, carefully taking the towel off so the hair wouldn't land on the floor and then blow-drying Peter's hair. By now he was getting tired.

"Is Frank finished in the bath yet?" He asked once Natasha led him to the couch, mentally telling herself to ask Tony to set up a room for Peter. Right now she was glad the washer automatically dried once the cycle was finished.

"Just about. You stay here and I'll go get him." Natasha said, pulling the blanket off of the back of the couch and wrapping it around Peter and setting out a pillow for him. When she came back Peter was half asleep and looked up at her, holding out his hands for Frank and smiling when Natasha handed him, Frank.

"Thank you." He said with a quiet yawn. Natasha nodded and sat at Peter's feet, watching him as he slowly fell asleep. The team slowly filtered into the room and sat around the room.

"Did you really know his parents?" Clint asked quietly as not to wake Peter up.

"Yes. I even knew him as a baby, but then they went undercover to infiltrate a genetic research lab." Natasha said quietly, pulling the blanket over Peter's feet.

"So that's why you made us take the mission," Steve said quietly. Natasha nodded again and smiled when peter started snoring quietly.

"What's gonna happen to him?" Tony asked. Natasha glanced up at him then back down at Peter.

"I'll adopt him."

——————

"Uh? Mama?" Peter said from the doorway. Natasha turned in the doorway. Sometimes she realised just how much Peter had changed, he was fourteen now, in high school and yet sometimes she could only see eight-year-old Peter.

"Yes, Peter?" She asked. Peter smiled sheepishly and entered the lounge room. Now he was comfortable with the team of course. He raised his hand which was facing palm down, the only odd thing was the alarm clock sticking to his palm.

"Uh, well. I woke up this morning and everything's been sticking to me. And I don't need my glasses or my inhaler. And I've doubled in body mass. And I accidentally punched a hole in my wall when I slapped a mosquito." Peter said nervously. Natasha stared at him for several minutes as Peter tried to shake his hand to make the clock drop to the floor.

"Has anything happened recently that could have caused this?" She asked slowly. Peter's face screwed up for a few moments before his eyes widened.

"I got bit by a spider on the field trip and I just thought it was a normal spider but now that I think about it there were supposed to be fifteen spiders in the enclosure and there were only fourteen." Peter rambled in explanation.

"What were the spiders there for?" She asked seriously.

"They were implementing human DNA." He said sheepishly. Natasha sighed deeply.

"Bruce. Please find out what is wrong with my idiot son."


	99. Puppy Peter

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An-One day Peter wakes up with dog ears a tail.

"Morning Pete. Sleep well?" Bruce asked tiredly, sipping his coffee. Peter hummed, yawning quietly and going along with making his breakfast, very unaware of the team staring at his back. They were transfixed on the tail poking out of the top of Peter's pyjama bottoms, waging along with his words.

"Yep. Got a full eight hours. Woke up in the middle of the night though, my head was hurting like mad and I think I slept funny cause my back hurts like hell. Although I might have gotten hit wrong on patrol so I don't really care." Peter said with a shrug, his tail wagging along lazily as he spread jam over his toast.

"Got anything fun going on today?" Clint asked faintly, not at all actually interested but curious if the tail would move more when he got excited. Peter hummed, his tail already picking up his speed. It was then that they noticed the twitching ears on top of Peter's head.

"Yep! I'm face timing my girlfriend tonight and that's really good cause she's been busy for a few weeks and we haven't had much time to talk. Oh! And Ned and I are gonna build another LEGO set." Peter kept going on and on about his next week, his tail wagging madly. Tony just made a distressed noise.

"Peter have you always had a dog tail and dog ears?" He asked incredulously, Peter turned around sharply, his annoyance about Tony interrupting him morphing into confusion.

"What?" He asked incredulously. Tony gestured vaguely to Peter who twisted so he could see the tail now tucked between his legs shaking slightly. He then frantically slapped his head, yanking on the ears.

"Ow! Wait. Ow? What the fuck? When the fuck? Why the fuck? Um. Mr Stark? What? Um? Help? Please?" Peter rambled weakly. Tony shrugged uselessly and gestured to Bruce who's hand slipped on his mug which made it drop to the floor and shatter. Peter waved his arms around in the air frantically at Bruce who stood up at closed his fingers around Peter's wrist, muttering under his breath and dragging a very confused Peter behind him.

When they both came back it was midday and Peter was blazing red as he sat heavily next to Tony who looked at him strangely as he muttered to himself and pulling his knees up to his chest and continued to mutter darkly.

"So what's the diagnosis doc?" Tony asked mockingly. Peter stuck his leg out and kicked Tony hard before curling back in on himself and looking to Bruce who shifted.

"Well we did several tests, and the only one that's come up with results was the DNA." Bruce paused, glancing at Peter who waved his hand and snatched a pillow off of the couch and hid his face in it.

"Peter has canine DNA. Like how the spider DNA changed Peter's bodily chemistry the canine DNA will also be changing his bodily chemistry. The ears and the tail might be the only thing that changes but he could hypothetically develop other habits and characteristics." Bruce finished. Peter grunted into the pillow and made a very disgruntled noise.

"Why have they only started developing now and not earlier?" Toky asked worriedly. Peter finally lifted his head up from the pillow, extremely red in the face, snot and tears dripping down his face.

"Puberty finally stopped giving me acne and voice cracks and now this is happening!" He cried desperately. Tony blinked several times and then broke into a fit of laughter, slapping Peter's back who was still crying.

"S-Sorry Pete. No, I'm sorry, but, but puberty?" Tony asked between laughs. Peter made another distressed noise and dug his face back into the pillow.

"Erm. Yes. Peter's um, Peter's in the late stages of puberty so he's developing them before his hormones settle." Bruce said awkwardly. Peter made another distressed noise and picked his head up again from the pillow to make several babbling and crying noises. Tony sighed and rubbed Peter's back.

"It's fine, really Pete. You actually look really cute. Bet your girlfriend will love them." Tony paused, still rubbing Peter's back and cried incoherently, "Who I still have to get a name age and picture of."

"Fuck off Mr Stark."

——————

"Uhm. Pete. I know that a boys first facial hair is very important but um. You need to shave." Steve said. Peter continued to rub the sleep out of his eyes.

"What? I don't have facial hair?" Peter said tiredly, rubbing his hands down his face. His eyes widened and his mouth fell open. He'd never had a single facial hair let alone an almost full beard.

"What? I've never um. I don't even? I don't even know how to shave? How? What? Um? Help please?" Peter rambled, waving his hands around. And of course, the only people on the kitchen when peter tottered in were Clint, Sam, Steve and a Bucky.

"Nope. I've already taught my son how to shave and I don't need this." Clint blurted, standing up and speed walking out of the room. Sam muttered something along the line of 'fuck this shit' while Steve and Bucky glanced at each other.

"Well, Stevie still doesn't grow hair so I'll teach you. Come on kiddo let's go." Bucky said, throwing an arm around Peter's shoulders and leading him to his own room and then into the bathroom. Peter awkwardly stood in the doorway staring up at the ceiling while Bucky gathered several things.

"Hell of a first shave. You've practically got a full beard." He snickered, he sighed when Peter stayed silent, sniffling quietly. Bucky placed his things down and walked until he was standing in front of Peter who was determinately staring up at the ceiling. Tears were gathered in his eyes and his lips pressed into a thin line. Bucky didn't know much about Peter but he knew that something big must be going on because he'd never ever seen Peter cry because he was sad or angry or hurt.

"What's goin' on in the teenage brain of yours?" He asked quietly, poking at Peter's neck. Peter's head slowly lowered and wiped his eyes.

"It just sucks." He said, playing with his fingers and sniffling. Bucky sighed, leading Peter to the toilet and then sitting him down, sitting down cross-legged in front of him.

"What sucks?" Bucky asked quietly. Peter glanced down at him then back to his lap.

"It's just. I don't really have a dad or a person who's like a dad. Ned's dad taught him and Abe's dad taught him and _Flash's_ dad even taught him. And uncle Ben was gonna teach me but he's gone too and May won't know how." Peter paused, wiping his face again, "It just sucks." Bucky nodded, taking one of Peter's hands in his own and sighing.

"I get it. My Ma died young and my da wasn't around much. An' Stevie's Da died before he was young and it wasn't like Stevie had much hair to grow so it was a no go." Bucky paused for a moment, "I had this teacher when I was around your age. He taught me how to shave and cut my own hair. Helped me with my homework cause my Da wasn't around. Encouraged me and stuff." Bucky said, ducking his head so he could look Peter in the eyes who was still sniffling with tears in his eyes.

"Does that sound like anyone you know?" Bucky prompted. Peter shrugged, thinking for a few moments.

"Kinda like Mr Stark but he, Ned not. He. Oh. Oh my god, I'm an idiot. I can't believe I would think of him like that cause he'd never think of me like a son or anything-" Peter was cut off by Bucky making a shushing motion.

"Peter not only are you oblivious to yourself you're oblivious to everyone else. Now come on. Let's teach you how to shave. Thank those dog genes cause you have a better beard then I ever did your age."

——————

"Hey, Peter. Can you eat this and tell me what it tastes like? Rogers thinks it tastes like pork and Barnes thinks it tastes like beef." Natasha said to Peter who was chewing on his pen which was half in his mouth, the team were honestly worried it would explode in his mouth. By now they'd seen a few changes in Peter's behaviour, including his teeth which were sharper and larger now. Peter held out his hand for what Natasha was talking about without thinking about it, he was too busy staring at his anatomy textbook while mouthing along to the words. He bit into the dog treat without looking at him while the team stared at him open-mouthed.

"It's liver." He said offhandedly, still chewing on the stick of dried meat.

"Really? How do you know?" Natasha asked in amusement. Peter hummed, actually relieved to be chewing on something because he'd been having the strange urge to chew on literally everything.

"How do you not?" He asked, pointing his slobbered pen at her. She grinned and glanced at Tony who was already fishing thirty dollars out of his pocket. 

"Do you like it?" She pressed. Peter shrugged.

"I guess? Just better to have something to chew on more than anything." Peter said offhandedly.

"You do realise you're eating a dog treat right?" Tony blurted. Peter's eyes widened, yanking the dog treat out of his mouth and staring at it before turning to Natasha.

"You tricked me." He said. Natasha chuckled and waved a hand.

"Indeed I did. But you didn't seem to mind." She said teasingly. Peter narrowed his eyes and stared at the dog treat in his hand before shrugging and starting to chew on it again. His tail was wagging madly as he continued his study while one of his ears twitched.

"I cannot believe this. Now I'm thirty dollars short."

——————

"What's up with you? You're never awake this early." Sam observed, taking a sip from his smoothie and staring at Peter who was sitting on the couch, both legs bouncing and biting his thumbnail. Peter didn't even glance up at him.

"Couldn't sleep. Too much energy. Went on patrol late to get rid of the energy but that didn't help. But I got my English essay done." Peter blurted, his ears were pressed flat against his head and tail stilled.

"That papers not due for six more weeks," Steve said, pointing an accusing finger at Peter who shrugged.

"How long since you've been able to sleep?" Sam asked, covering Steve's mouth before he could start talking. Peter was silent for several moments before shrugging.

"Five days." He said. Sam's eyebrows shot up, thinking hurriedly for several minutes.

"What if it's a dog thing?" He blurted eventually. Peter didn't even pause, legs bouncing faster.

"What kind of dog thing?" Peter asked, starting to look extremely uncomfortable as he bit harshly on his thumb and drawing blood.

"Well you have to take a dog on a walk or they get nasty and aggressive and have trouble sleeping. What if it's the same for you?" He suggested. Peter jumped up from the couch and patted Sam's shoulder.

"I'm getting my running shoes." He said.

An hour later he was jogging beside Sam with a massive smile on his face, all traces of shakiness gone and he was looking more awake than ever.

"This was a great idea!" He exclaimed. Sam chuckled and glanced at Steve who sped fast easily.

"Told you it would work." He puffed out teasingly. Peter nodded frantically.

"I've never even gone on a morning run before cause I used to be too unfit and now I don't really need to run to stay fit," Peter explained excitedly, eyes darting around to the birds and butterflies.

"Curse those super genes." Sam puffed. Peter hummed happily.

"You think I can catch up with Grant?" Peter asked in wonder. Sam glanced at Steve who was still whizzing around the park.

"Why do you call him Grant?" Sam asked, glancing at Peter. Peter shrugged.

"He calls me Benjamin so I call him Grant. You think I can catch up to him?" He asked. Sam made a humming noise and waved for him to do as he pleased. Peter grinned and easily caught up with Steve and started talking excitedly with him until he got annoyed. Peter promptly sped up until twice Steve speed and sped around the path.

When they got back to the tower peter sprawled himself out on one of the couches, glad he had at least three hours before he had to get ready for school. Sam grinned to himself in congratulations, even more so when Tony came I to the room with a surprised look on his face.

"He's sleeping?" He whispered. Sam nodded.

"He went on a run with Steve and I. I think he'll fine but he might need someone to go on walks or runs with him at night," Sam said, clicking his pen with a grin.

"Why would he need someone to go with him?" Tony whispered, sitting down next to Peter and lifting his head into his lap. 

"Cause he started chasing butterflies and accidentally ran into another runner," Sam said in amusement.

"Ah. Well, I can take him on the walks. Pep's been telling me I need more exercise."

——————

"Please tell me someone's out leftovers in the fridge?" Peter asked tiredly, pulling off his mask and flicking his ear and then untucking his tail from his pants. Tony smirked.

"Yep. Steve put some Spaghetti in the fridge for you." Tony said, waving a hand. Peter made an excited noise and kissed Steve's forehead without thinking about it and opening the fridge and smiling as he put it in the microwave. He sat down with it and immediately started eating without thinking before making a gagging noise and running to the bin and spitting it out.

"What's in that?" He asked, spitting into the bin and running for a glass of water. Steve rose an offended eyebrow.

"I decided to add some spinach. Why?" Steve asked. Peter waved his hand around and drunk his water hurriedly before spitting into the bin again.

"It's disgusting. I hate spinach." Peter said evenly.

"But you liked it three months ago," Bucky said in confusion. Peter spat into the bin again.

"Three months ago I wasn't a glorified house dog." Peter blurted, spitting into the bin again. The team nodded seriously and went along with what they were doing. No one thought about Peter's inability to eat certain foods until Valentine's Day, a month later when Peter was clearly upset.

"What's got you upset?" Wanda asked. Peter grunted into the pillow he had his face pressed into, laying face down on the couch.

"Has someone not been taking on their nightly walk?" Scott teased. Peter lifted himself out of the pillow, propped up on his elbows with a sour look on his face.

"Love is dead." He spat. Scott and Wanda both shared a worried glance them looked back at Peter.

"Did um, did you and your girlfriend break up?" Wanda asked nervously. Peter shook his head and stuffed his face back into the pillow, he promptly screamed into the pillow, muffled greatly.

"They didn't break up, she lives in a different state and Peter won't be able to see her for Valentines." Tony drawled from the doorway. Peter screamed into the pillow again, kicking the arm of the chair as he screamed, his ears pressed flat against his head and tail limp.

"Oh. Well, can you at least FaceTime her?" Scott asked. Peter shrugged.

"She's busy at a school thing. Peter said, and I quote, 'I just want to hug her' but he won't let me fly his little girlfriend out because he says it's like she's meeting his dad." Tony drawled. Peter went silent into the pillow, the team ignored that they were having that father-son thing going, it was normal by now.

"Suck it up. Chocolate was on sale. Take it." Natasha deadpanned, holding out wrapped chocolate. Peter grunted and turned away from her.

"I wasn't giving you a choice." She said. Peter groaned and picked himself up from the couch and held out his hand for the mini chocolate. He locked eyes with her as he unwrapped it and popped it in his mouth. Natasha smiled triumphantly and turned her back on him.

None of them thought anything of it as peter curled back up on the couch and muttered to himself darkly. They did however when Tony picked up Peter's feet and sat in their place.

"Woah! Peter, you're breaking out in hives! What's going on?" Tony shouted, shaking peter awake who looked panicked as he turned around, his whole face was red and swelling, he clawed at his throat and Tony took that as not being able to breathe.

——————

"Uh, well. It appears that Peter is now allergic to chocolate because of his newfound characteristics." The doctor said awkwardly, glancing at Peter who had ice held to his face by bandages. He looked very unimpressed and upset while the nurse rubbed several creams into his skin.

"Oh. Should we be careful of things that could um, that could cause him to have an allergic reaction?" Tony asked worriedly, patting Peter's knee.

"I'll give you a list of things you should watch out for." She said with a smile. Tony nodded.

"Great. What do we do if he has another reaction?" He asked. She nodded and picked up an EpiPen from her desk.

"Use one of these. Instructions come with it and I've already added it to Peter's file. He can do some courses and you should as well. Just stay with him for now, he'll be free to go in a few moments." The doctor said, nodding to herself and leaving the room swiftly.

"How are you feeling Pete?" Tony asked nervously. Peter turned to him and narrowed his eyes.

"Valentine's Day sucks."


	100. Only a semi-fenale

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! This was written once I got to the chapter limit on a wattpad oneshot book. At the time I hadn't thought I would expand my writing to other areas, now that I have, and my fanfiction content is at risk of being deleted from Wattpad I'm moving my content here. I've posted each pre-published chapter from previous books, and each draft uploaded to my google drive. Before I continue to update I'll be tagging newly posted AO3 chapters, rewriting sections and editing chapter. :)

Wow. I have done something I never thought I would ever do. I have published a 199 part story in under a year.

I would like to say thank you, thank you, thank you, THANK YOU! To all of my readers, voters and commenters! It's really really overwhelming when I see the same people vote and comment on every chapter is met with such positive feedback, but also thank you for bearing with me while my writing progressed and I slowly got better at writing and coming up with ideas.

And thank you for all of the requests!

I hate to plug, but I'll be releasing a second Spiderman/Avengers one-shot book which will be out on my profile soon enough!

I will be answering questions in the comments but if I don't feel comfortable answering then I'll delete the comment.

Thank you again for the love!

I love you 3000


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